Old image from China falsely shared as last salute by AIIMS doctors to Sitaram Yechury
CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury passed away on 12 September at AIIMS Hospital in New Delhi. Following his death, his body was donated to the AIIMS hospital for medical research as per his wish. Meanwhile, an image of Sitaram Yechury's body donation has been going viral on social media. The image shared shows AIIMS doctors paying their last respects to Sitaram Yechury, a group of doctors bowing their heads in front of the dead body.
Let’s check the truth
Fact Check
We started our investigation with a reverse image search on Google and the results led us to similar image featured in a Beijing-based CGTN report, published on 30 September, 2016. The caption states, “Chinese doctor dies while volunteering in Tibet, donates his organs.” As per the report, Zhao Ju, 41, was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm while working as a volunteer in Tibet and was admitted to Anhui Province Hospital for specialist treatment. After his death, doctors and health workers at Anhui Provincial Hospital bowed before his body and paid their last respects.
Moving forward, we found several Chinese media reports featuring the viral image and sharing the same details. Zhao Ju, a dentist from Anhui province in eastern China. Zhao fell ill while volunteering in Tibet and was later admitted to Anhui Provincial Hospital. He died there on September 29, 2016. His family members suppressed their grief and decided to donate his body to patients in need of organ transplants in accordance with his wishes.
So, we can understand that the viral image surfaced on social media four years ago. Sitaram Yechury passed away on 12 September 2024 and the body was delivered to AIIMS on 14 September. That indicates the image is not from AIIMS nor related to Sitaram Yechury’s death. An old image of doctors paying their respects to a colleague who donated his organs following his death at a Chinese hospital was falsely shared as AIIMS doctors saluting CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury.
Conclusion-
Fact Crescendo found that the claim made along with the viral image to be False. The viral image shows Chinese doctors paying respects to a colleague doctor and organ donor who died of a brain aneurysm and it dates back to 2016. It has no link to AIIMS or Sitaram Yechury’s death.