BJP Leaders Meeting Dilip Ghosh Without Masks? No, Image is Old

An old image of Dilip Ghosh being admitted to hospital is being shared with a false claim that BJP leaders paid him a visit while he was being treated for COVID-19.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An old image of West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party President Dilip Ghosh is being circulated to claim that BJP leaders visited him at the hospital, after he tested positive for coronavirus, without wearing masks.

We found that the image is from 2017 when Ghosh was admitted at a private hospital with neurological complaints.

CLAIM

Social media users took a dig at the BJP leaders and wrote: “Meeting COVID Positive Dilip Ghosh without wearing any Mask. Only BJP Leaders can Show Such Courage.”

You can view the archived version here.(Source: Twitter/ Screenshot)

Several social media users shared the image on Twitter and Facebook with the same claim.

You can view the archived version here.(Source: Twitter/ Screenshot)

You can view the archived version here.(Source: Facebook/ Screenshot)

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

We did a Google reverse image search and found an article published in 2018 that carried the same image.

(Source: Website/ Screenshot)

We noticed the hospitals’ name written in the background. (AMRI hospital – highlighted in green).

‘AMRI hospital’ written on an equipment seen in the image.(Photo: Altered by The Quint/ Twitter)

The Quint accessed the statement released by AMRI hospital regarding the image in question which stated that the image is from 2017.

“While the image is indeed from AMRI Hospitals, Salt Lake, it is from three years ago, when Dilip Ghosh got admitted with neurological complaints,” the statement read.

Dilip Ghosh is presently getting treated for coronavirus at the Salt Lake branch of AMRI hospital in Kolkata. The statement mentioned that he is admitted at the COVID building and no visitors are allowed.

“Currently, he is admitted at the COVID building and as per protocol, no visitors are allowed. Also, no one, including doctors and Healthcare workers, can enter the building without proper personal protection equipment,” the statement added.

Evidently, an old image of Dilip Ghosh being admitted to hospital is being shared with a false claim that BJP leaders paid him a visit while he was being treated for COVID-19.

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