Fact Check: No, The Child In The Viral Picture Did Not Die In Bihar Floods

A picture of a dead baby that recently went viral was shared widely with the false claim that he lost his life by drowning in the floods in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur.

What Was The Claim?

The picture was shared by several Twitter user comparing the instance with the picture of a dead Syrian refugee kid whose picture went viral and rose the collective conscience of the world.

In the video, we can see a man standing next to the child’s body, holding a fishing net.

Even the official Twitter account of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) shared this photo with a caption that read: “Speechless! On the other hand, yesterday, Bihar’s entire cabinet ministers watched a film and ate free dinner at a multiplex, displaying a devilish attitude under the leadership of Sushil Modi. And on top of that, they were brazen enough to argue they can’t stop eating and watching a movie just because there are floods in the state. Shameless!”

निशब्द:! और बिहार का पूरा मंत्रिमंडल कल रात राक्षसी प्रवृति के साथ सुशील मोदी की अगुवाई में मल्टीप्लेक्स में फ़्री डिनर के साथ फ़िल्म देख रहा था। ऊपर से मंत्री कह रहे थे,”बाढ़ आयी तो क्या खाना-पीना, मूवी देखना छोड़ दे। बेशर्म कहीं के! https://t.co/YWsInQl0YY

— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) July 18, 2019

RJD also tweeted screenshots from a news website of a related report with the title “A heartbreaking picture emerges from flood-ravaged Bihar”.

याद है सीरिया में समुद्र तट पर बहकर आये एक मासूम शरणार्थी का शव देखकर पूरी दुनिया रो उठी थी… लेकिन शायद बिहार की प्रलयंकारी बाढ़ में अपना जीवन खोने वाले बच्चे के लिए आंसू बहाने के लिए न तो सरकार है वे संवेदनशील हृदय! pic.twitter.com/vcIWDSvd4X

— Rashtriya Janata Dal (@RJDforIndia) July 18, 2019

Several others shared the video with similar claims.

इसे देखकर विचलित नहीं होना. इंसेफेलाइटिस से बिहार में हुई 150 से ज़्यादा बच्चों की मौत के बाद ये बच्चा भी आँकड़ा बनकर रह जाएगा या शायद वो भी नहीं बनेगा. सूबे के सीएम, देश के पीएम आंकडों का गला घोंटकर ही तो बाहर और अच्छे दिन के दावे करते हैं? लेकिन सवाल करना मना है! #BiharFloods pic.twitter.com/YpL5PtkEM2

— Tarun Krishna (@krishnatarun03) July 18, 2019

What Is The Truth?

The kid in the picture did not die in the Bihar floods but was killed by his mother.

The Times Of India reported that although the unfortunate incident did take place in Muzaffarpur, it had nothing to do with the floods, as informed by the District Magistrate’s office.

A press release from Muzaffarpur district’s public relations office said the incident took place in Minapur village. A woman, Reena Devi, had a fight with her husband, and pushed her four kids into the Bagmati river, and then jumped in herself. While local divers managed to save her and her 7-year-old daughter, the other kids lost their lives.

The following is the press release:

Hence, it is concluded that the picture of the dead baby has nothing to do with the Bihar floods, but he was killed by his mother.

Creating or sharing fake news is never justified. We have a responsibility to verify everything that we post on the internet. To ensure that our national debate is healthy and well-informed, each and every one of us has a responsibility of treating what we read with a pinch of salt, a spoonful of doubt, and a flood of research.

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