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India ministry mocked for 'appropriating' Spain border

Date:2017-08-29 

Twitter users are ridiculing India's home ministry for appropriating a picture from the Spain-Morocco border to highlight its work.

Alt News website reported on Wednesday that the ministry used the picture in its annual report to show that it had installed floodlights in border areas.

But the website added that the picture was taken in 2006 by Spanish photographer Javier Moyano.

The ministry has reportedly ordered an inquiry into the "embarrassing gaffe".

Edited Modi flood photo sparks mockery

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has faced similar online mockery in the past for using wrong or photo-shopped pictures in official press releases and reports.

India's state-run Press Information Bureau in 2015 tweeted an obviously edited image of Mr Modi surveying deadly Chennai floods.

In the latest gaffe, the home ministry included the picture in its report which was published on its website.

After Alt News reported the error, many Indians took to Twitter to mock the ministry.

Brilliant, sharp-eyed fact-checking @altnews_in Why call your own BSF for a picture when you can steal from InternetImage copyrightSHEKHAR GUPTAOops! Home Ministry used Spain-Morocco border Pic in its annual report to show lighting on Indian border.Image copyrightSUMIT CHAUDHARYHome ministry goofs up, passes off Spain-Morocco picture as India-Pak borderImage copyrightAKASH RINWANOutrageous! Is everything fake with #Modi govt? Home Ministry report uses Spain-Morocco border photo to show Indian border floodlightingImage copyrightLATHA JISHNU

The NDTV website reported that home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi had demanded an explanation from officials.

"If it's a mistake by the ministry, we will apologise," he said.

The ministry has been installing floodlights in border areas to check smuggling and infiltration.

In its annual report, the ministry said it had floodlit 647km (402 miles) of India's border with Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Officials said it was unclear how a wrong picture made its way into the annual report.

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