Fact Check: TDP leaders were not dancing at Tirumala guest house, the video was shot at a birthday party in Vijayawada
Tirumala is a pious and sacred abode of Lord Venkateswara Swami located on the Seshachalam hills
Tirumala
Tirumala is a pious and sacred abode of Lord Venkateswara Swami located on the Seshachalam hills in Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh. Lakhs of devotees visit the temple to offer prayers to the Lord. To keep the piousness of the temple, there are several rules that the devotees are asked to follow. Non-vegetarian food and alcohol are not allowed in Tirumala. Devotees are also asked not to smoke, litter. Photography and videography are also strictly prohibited within the temple premises to maintain the sacredness. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam maintains the sanctity of the area, making sure that the restrictions are maintained in the city. TTD recently applied restrictions on the movement of two-wheelers on the ghat roads. Two-wheelers can only ply on the ghat roads between 6 am to 9 pm from August 12 to September 30, 2024.
Meanwhile, a video of people dancing to the beats of a Telugu song is in circulation on social media with the claim that the Telugu Desam party leaders are dancing in a guest house in Tirumala hills. The text om the video in Telugu goes “తిరుమలలో అపచారం సాలూరు తెలుగుదేశం నాయకుల బరితెగింపు తిరుమల, తిరుపతి దేవస్థానం పద్మావతి వసతి గృహంలో చిందులు.. అధికారులు ఏం చేస్తున్నారు? రాష్ట్ర మంత్రి గుమ్మిడి నంద్యారాణి ఆధ్వర్యంలో ఆమె భర్త జయ కుమార్, సాలూరు ఈనాడు, ఆంధ్రజ్యోతి విలేఖర్లు లక్కోజి శ్రీనివాస్, అనవర్తి రాముల చిందులు”
When translated, it claims: “Mischief in Tirumala. The Saluru Telugu Desam leaders’ audacity. Dancing in the Tirumala, Tirupati Devasthanam Padmavati Dormitory. What are the authorities doing? Under the ministership of Gummidi Sandhya Rani, her husband Jaya Kumar, and journalists of Eenadu and Andhrajyothi Lakkoji Srinivas, Anaparthi Ramulu also dance.”
Fact Check:
The claim is False. The video is not from Tirumala, it shows leaders dancing at a birthday party celebrated in Viajayawada.
When we performed Google reverse image search using the keyframes extracted from the viral video, we found a post published by X handle of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam stating that the video does not show the accommodation provided by TTD.
A website named ap7am.com published an article stating that AP police clarified that the video was not shot on the sacred hills of Tirumala. It was taken at a birthday event in Vijayawada. The police department also warned the social media users that posting such demeaning videos with false narratives is a crime and the users will be subjected to severe legal punishment.
We also found tweets by the AP police refuting the claims and stating “This video which was shot at a birthday event in Vijayawada is being falsely circulated as being shot in Tirumala. It is a crime to post fake videos to tarnish the sanctity of divine Tirumala. Serious legal action will be initiated under relevant sections.”
Hence, the viral video is not related and was not shot in any of the guest houses in Tirumala. The claim is False.