Who is Rajendra Panchal? Old photo of Pune man with jaw deformity used to mock Indians

A photograph of a Pune resident named Rajendra Panchal has been doing rounds on social media to target Indians with racist remarks.

The picture, that was taken before a rare jaw surgery nearly eight years ago, has been posted by several accounts on X to mock Indians.

Who is Rajendra Panchal?

According to fact-checker Mohammed Zubair, Panchal is a helper from Maharashtra. He had an accident at the age of one, when a broken jaw led to a rare deformity called Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) ankylosis, a condition in which the jaw joint fuses with the skull.

He spent 38 years unable to open his mouth properly and surviving on liquids and semi-solid meal as he could not chew food. This led to long-term mal-nutrition and a persistent tooth ache eventually took him to a doctor.

Specialists at Pune’s MA Rangoonwala College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre suggested immediate surgery and carried out the complex treatment that restored movement to his jaw.

The procedure was offered free of cost as Panchal could not afford it. After decades, Panchal could eat solid food for the first time following the surgery.

Indians racially targeted

Despite the success story, the pre-surgery photo has now resurfaced for the wrong reasons.

A section of US-based users on X has circulated the image to ridicule Indians, with one post gathering more than eight million views.

The misuse of the picture has attracted strong criticism online.

One user wrote, “Mocking an entire country or community by using the image of someone who suffered a life changing disfigurement isn’t humour, it’s cruelty built on prejudice. It reflects the same dehumanising mindset that fuels extremist hate, where human suffering becomes a prop for mockery."

Another comment stated, “This image is being widely circulated by racists to relentlessly attack Indians. I am not surprised though, what else do you expect of lowlifes?"

A different user called the act “deeply hateful," saying, “What has been done to this man is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Using someone’s image, especially of a person who has already endured immense hardship, to fuel racist, dehumanising narratives is cruel, irresponsible and deeply hateful."