Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Muslims vandalise Durga idol in pandal at Hyderabad.
Fact
No communal angle to the incident, clarifies DCP, who said the pandal was vandalised by a mentally unsound man in search of food.
Several social media users are circulating a 1-minute 36-second video, claiming it shows a Durga Puja pandal that has been vandalised by Muslims in Hyderabad, while urging Hindus to “wake up” against Islam’s “hatred for others’ Gods”.
“…Not Pakistani Hyderabad, but Congress-ruled Hyderabad… This is the real face of Islam… and the followers of Islam always said that Islam is a religion of peace,” read an X post, sharing the video.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Fact Check
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes, which led us to this post by @greatandhranews, dated October 11, 2024, sharing the same video. “Unidentified miscreants vandalised the statue of Amma in Nampally exhibition ground. The miscreants who first cut the electricity, broke the CCTV cameras and vandalised the statue of Amma,” read the X post, translated from Telugu.
Taking a cue from this, we ran a relevant keyword search, which led us to multiple news reports on the incident. “A mentally unsound man has been arrested for allegedly vandalising the idol of Goddess Durga in Telangana’s Hyderabad. The accused, identified as Krishnaiah Goud, is a native of Nagarkurnool district of the state. According to Central Zone DCP Akshansh Yadav, Goud, who suffers from mental health issues, admitted to damaging the idol after a breakdown when he couldn’t find food at a Puja pandal at Nampally Exhibition Grounds,” read an India Today report, dated October 12, 2024.
An October 11, 2024 Telangana Today report, featuring screengrabs of the viral video, stated that Central Zone DCP Akshansh Yadav in a late-night press conference had said Krishnaiah Goud’s mental condition was not stable and he confessed that he was hungry and came to the venue in search of food. According to the report, the DCP warned citizens not to give a communal colour to the incident on social media, which could lead to law and order issues. A similar TOI report can be seen here, reiterating that deputy commissioner of police (central zone) Akshansh Yadav held a press meet on Friday night to declare the arrest of Krishnaiah Goud of Nagarkurnool.
We also came across this ANI tweet, dated October 12, 2024, where DCP Yadav speaks to the media regarding the incident, stating that a case has been filed against the organisers for negligence.
Conclusion
Video of a vandalised Durga Puja pandal in Hyderabad is being shared with a false communal angle.
Result: False
Sources
Telangana Today report, October 12, 2024
ANI tweet, October 12, 2024
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
