Image of a Bangladesh park falsely shared as a revamped road from Srinagar

By: Umme Kulsum
May 23 2023

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Context
Ahead of the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting that is going to be held in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, from May 22 to 24, an image of a revamped road in Srinagar has been shared on social media. The post by one Twitter user Aquib Mir reads, “This is Boulevard Road in Srinagar has been given a magnificent makeover to welcome delegates from around the world for the #G20Kashmir summit (sic).” The image displayed a road lined with vibrant tiles and street lights.

In Fact
Following a reverse image search, Logically Facts discovered the same image that had been posted on Facebook in February 2023 by an account called ‘Jhautola Patuakhali.’ Further investigation revealed that Jhautola Patuakhali is a park in Patuakhali town, located in the division of Barisal in Bangladesh. The page was created to focus on the advancement of the park. Additionally, the image was also shared on Instagram early this year by several users who tagged the location Jhautola Patuakhali.

When searching for Jhautola Patuakhali, Logically Facts discovered some photographs uploaded to Google by people. The images are from January and February 2023. Patuakhali Municipal Mayor Mohiuddin Ahmed, on his Facebook profile, reshared a video originally posted by a video creator named ‘Samir Patuakhali.’ The image shared online can be seen in the 16-minute-long video at about 4:00 timestamp. The video was shared in the backdrop of the municipal development in the area.

Moreover, Logically Facts checked Google Maps street view for Boulevard Road in Srinagar and found that there is no similarity to the picture shared in the tweet. Srinagar’s Boulevard road is flanked by Dal Lake on one side and a series of shops on the other.In the viral image, there is no water body on the side of the road.

Additionally, Logically Facts also got in touch with Shakir Mir, a local journalist based in Srinagar, who shared a few recent pictures of the Boulevard road. The viral photo has no resemblance to the images the journalist shared. Therefore, it is obvious that the image that is going viral is not of Boulevard Road in Srinagar.

The Verdict
An image of a street in a park in Patuakhali, Bangladesh, has gone viral under the false narrative that it shows Boulevard Road in Srinagar, representing the city's renovation before the G-20 summit in Jammu and Kashmir. Therefore, we mark this claim false.