FACT CHECK: Smiley selfies of wrestlers are fakes morphed by BJP supporters

Soon after the wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar — including Sangeeta Phogat and Vinesh Phogat — were detained by the Delhi Police on the day the new parliament building was inaugurated, the Bharatiya Janata Party's supporters and their IT cell began circulating a morphed photo of the Phogats and some of their colleagues smiling in the police van.

In the actual photo (see below), they were certainly not smiling.

Calling out the BJP's attempt at spreading a false narrative through this morphed picture, Olympian wrestler Bajrang Punia — who was one of the protestors detained — threatened to file a complaint against those found posting the photograph on social media.

"IT Cell people are spreading this fake picture. We make it clear that a complaint will be filed against whoever posts this fake picture," Bajrang Punia tweeted in Hindi.

After several right-wing handles, including former Mail Today editor Abhijit Majumdar, shared the morphed photograph, journalist Uzair Rizvi shared how the IT cell had morphed the photograph. The right-wing handles claimed that the wrestlers were protesting to gain prominence and were not serious about the issue at all.

When asked about the morphed photo, wrestler Sakshi Malik — who is seen in the image behind the Phogat cousins — asserted that those doing such acts have no shame at all. “Pasting smiles on the faces of girls who are disturbed... I don't think they even have a heart. They are trying to defame us,” said Malik.

Punia, along with Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, and their supporters were detained by the Delhi Police on Sunday as they tried to march towards the new parliament building, demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly sexually harassing women grapplers, including a minor. The wrestlers had called for a women's 'Mahapanchayat' to assemble on Sunday. The wrestlers have been protesting since April 23 and had called for the resignation of Singh from all WFI bodies.

The wrestlers as well as many from various student and farmers' collectives were detained at different police stations around Delhi and its borders, and were released late at night. The police have vowed not to allow the protesting wrestlers to return to Jantar Mantar, having removed their tent and belongings while detaining them, but the wrestlers seem insistent on returning.

Indeed, one social media user put together a collage (below) that many saw as far more accurate a representation of the situation.