On October 5, communal violence erupted in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, during a procession for Durga idol immersion. A man identified as Ram Gopal Mishra was allegedly shot dead during the violence that followed. The UP police have arrested five persons in connection with Mishra’s death.
In the above backdrop, a poster of a person decorated with a garland has gone viral on social media. People have been sharing the poster claiming it belongs to Ram Gopal Mishra.
Fact Check
SouthCheck found that the claim was false. The man in the viral image is journalist Raghvendra Shukla who is alive.
We found many comments on the viral post identifying the person in the poster as a journalist named Raghvendra Shukla. One of the comments also shared a screenshot of Raghvendra Shukla's bio from the news website Navbharat Times.
Using this clue, we found the page on Navbharat Times’s website which stated that Raghvendra Shukla is a senior digital content producer at the news agency. The page carried the same photo of Raghvendra Shukla viral as Ram Gopal Mishra.
We also found Raghvendra Shukla’s Facebook account where the journalist made a post addressing the viral claim. He said that his image on the poster has gone viral with false narratives regarding the Bahraich incident and asked people not to believe the claim as he is alive.
Hence, we conclude that the claim is false.
