The woman in the viral images is not Dr. Manisha Patil, who died due to COVID-19
Claim: “बहुत दुख के साथ बताना पड़ रहा है कि महाराष्ट्र की रहने वाली 28 वर्षिय डाक्टर मनीषा पाटील की कल कोरोना बिमारी से मौत हो गई। मनीषा ने कुल 188 लोगो की जाँच कर उन्हे स्वस्थ किया था लेकिन वे खुद को ना बचा सकी। भगवान बुद्ध उन्की आत्मा को शांति दे”
Translation: “I tell you with sadness that Manisha Patil, a resident of Maharashtra has lost her life due to Coronavirus. Manisha had treated 188 patients for COVID-19 and made them well, but she could not be saved. May she rest in peace.”
The post is going viral all over Twitter and Facebook claiming that Dr. Manisha Patil in Maharashtra has died due to COVID-19, after saving the lives of over 180 people.
This particular post has got over 725 shares,
It was shared all over Facebook,
It was shared widely on Twitter as well,
The post was also widely shared on Twitter,
Truth
After doing a Google Reverse Image of the images, we came across the Twitter profile of the woman in the image. The woman in the image is Dr. Richa Rajpoot. Her profile suggests that she is a physician and a social worker.
After scanning her profile, we came across the images that have gone viral. She had uploaded those images on 25 April 2020, at 10:20 am, for the #BlueTwitter challenge, way before the images went viral.
Twitter took on to #BlueTwitter to stand in solidarity with the health workers who are fighting constantly to save and treat Coronavirus patients. Netizens have shared pictures wearing blue, scenery that is blue, etc. The color also signifies the Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) of gowns, masks worn by healthcare workers fighting non-stop in order to contain the virus and save lives. Dr. Richa Rajpoot uploaded these images as part of the trend.
She posted a clarification on her Twitter profile, with a video. She captioned it as, “अभी हम जिंदा है ” हमारे मौत की फेक न्यूज़ फेसबुक और ट्विटर पर बहुत वायरल हो गयी है , हँसी तो आती है इसपर लेकिन डर भी लगता है कही कोई हमारे भूत की अफवाह फैला कर कुटाई न कर दे ..ऐसी अफवाहों पर कई लोगो की जान जा चुकी है. इस पोस्ट को ज्यादा से ज्यादा लोगो तक पहुंचाने में मदद करे“
In the video, she says, “I had uploaded my photos on social media and it has been viral with the wrong caption. I am Richa Rajpoot, and I live in Kanpur and work as a General Physician… I am not Manisha Patil as claimed in these viral posts… If all the news is true about Manisha Patil, please give your love and blessings to their family in these difficult times. My direct exposure is not with the COVID-19 patients, I along with my seniors solve primary health issues of people through social media. I am at home safe and sound”. She urges people to not spread the images and spread fake news without verifying. She has also reported the matter to the Uttar Pradesh Police. The video can be seen here. (Archive)
Therefore, the woman in the images is not Dr. Manisha Patil as claimed in the viral posts. The woman seen in the photos is Dr. Richa Rajpoot from Kanpur and she is doing fine.
