Fact Check: Jhalmuri Vendor Seen With PM Modi In Jhargram Is Not An SPG Jawan; Viral Claim Is Fake
PM Modi ate jhalmuri at a shop during his election campaign in Jhargram. However, the claim that the shopkeeper was an SPG personnel is false and election propaganda. The two individuals seen in the viral infographic are different.
- By: Abhishek Parashar
- Published: Apr 24, 2026 at 02:52 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News). While campaigning for the 2026 Assembly elections in Jhargram, West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited a roadside vendor to eat Jhalmuri. In this context, social media users are sharing a collage of two photos, claiming that the shopkeeper who prepared and served Jhalmuri to the Prime Minister was not actually a shopkeeper, but a member of the Special Protection Group (SPG), deployed for the Prime Minister’s security.
Vishvas News investigated and found the viral claim to be misleading and shared for election propaganda. The shopkeeper selling Jhalmuri and the SPG jawan are two different individuals. Multiple agencies interviewed the shopkeeper selling Jhalmuri, and their visual analysis indicates that the two individuals in the viral collage are different. Furthermore, technical facial analysis of the two individuals in the viral infographic confirms their identity.
What is viral?
shared the viral photo (archive link ) on April 21, 2026, writing, “Scam here too! The Jhalmuri guy turned out to be an SPG commando.”
Several other users have shared the image with similar claims.
Investigation
To begin our investigation, we carefully examined the two images used in the viral infographic and found the two individuals shown in them are not the same. We then conducted a reverse image search of the man in the SPG uniform using multiple tools to trace its origin, but no credible source was found. If the image were of a Jhalmuri seller, its source would have been traced due to extensive media coverage.
A reverse image search of the shopkeeper’s photo revealed several reports using the same image. News24Online reports that the Prime Minister stopped by a shop during his election campaign in Jhargram and enjoyed the Jhalmuri.
News agencies ANI and NDTV also shared it from their official handles.
PM Modi’s official handle also shared some photos, showing him with the shopkeeper and some other people present there.
We found videos from news agencies ANI and NDTV in which the shopkeeper shared his name, family background, and his experience of the PM visiting his shop.
According to reports, the man selling Jhalmuri is Vikram Sah, a resident of Bihar. He has studied till the 9th standard and said, “I was unaware of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sudden arrival.” Visual analysis of the images of Vikram Sah in these reports makes it clear that he and the man in the SPG uniform in the infographic are two different people.
We then used technical analysis tools to check the similarity between the two faces. Analysis by Facepair.com also confirmed that the viral collage depicts different individuals.
We also compared two different frames of the photo of the Jhalmuri shopkeeper, which confirmed that they were similar.
To verify the viral claim, we contacted a journalist who interviewed the shopkeeper. He confirmed that the shopkeeper, Vikram, runs a Jhalmuri shop and that the claim that he is an SPG soldier is false.
Verifying further, he stated, “The Prime Minister had gone to address a rally in Jhargram and on his way back, he visited the shop between 3:30 and 4:00. The shop is located between the rally site and the helipad. It is also true that before the PM arrived at the shop, SPG personnel had a casual conversation with some shopkeepers present there.”
What is the context?
Voting in Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29, 2026, and vote counting will take place on May 4, 2026. It is worth noting that assembly elections are being held in four states and one union territory, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.
Voting for the assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry was held on April 9, 2026. According to the Election Commission’s (EC) data, voter turnout was 85.38% in Assam, 78.03% in Kerala, and 89.83% in Puducherry.
The X user who shared the viral image has around 1.50 lakh followers. Fact-check reports on other viral claims related to the assembly elections can be accessed here.
Conclusion: PM Modi ate jhalmuri at a shop during his election campaign in Jhargram. However, the claim that the shopkeeper was an SPG personnel is false and election propaganda. The two individuals seen in the viral infographic are different.
- Claim Review : The man who sold Jhalmuri to PM Modi in Jhargram turned out to be an SPG jawan.
- Claimed By : X User-@Jeetuburdak
- Fact Check : False
- news24online.com Report, Dated 20 April 2026
- Video Report of NDTV, Dated 19 April 2026, Video Report of NDTV, Dated 19 April 2026
- Video Report of ANI, Dated 19 and 2o April 2026
- PM Modi X Post, Dated 19 April 2026
- ECI Official X Handle
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