Altered government photo of Modi riles critics on Internet

A doctored photo released by the Indian government showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi surveying severe flooding from a helicopter has been deleted, and his office promised remedial action after criticism on social media.

Modi had traveled to Tamil Nadu state's capital, Chennai, on Thursday to get a firsthand view of the disaster, after the strongest rains in a century killed more than 280 people over a month and displaced thousands of residents.

On Friday, Chennai residents clutching babies and food thronged flooded streets, braving chest-deep water to reach high ground or heading the other way to rescue relatives still stranded days after overflowing lakes drowned the city.

Waters receded in some areas thanks to a lull in the rains. But another cloudburst was forecast within hours, and officials said brimming waterways were the main concern in the low-lying coastal city.

The government's Press Information Bureau had published a photo on its website that showed Modi looking through the round window of a helicopter, through which a clear view of Chennai waterlogged buildings was visible. The photo was later taken down.

A similar photograph, but with a blurred view through the window, was posted on Modi's personal Twitter feed. Commentators on social media accused the PIB of digitally manipulating its version of the picture.

The prime minister's office was shocked to see facts being distorted, said a senior official who declined to be named, adding that officials from the press office have been summoned to reinforce rules and regulations.

"We will not allow anyone to falsify the facts," another official in Modi's office said on Friday. "The prime minister will not tolerate this."

The head of the PIB declined to comment.

(China Daily 12/05/2015 page9)