Fact Check: Durga puja pandal vandalized in Hyderabad was not due to communal hatred

Durga Puja is not only a big festival but also a shining example of communal harmony in Cuttack. Here, Muslims actively participate in the celebrations alongside their Hindu brothers who organize the event. Many Durga Puja committees include Muslim members who oversee the preparations.

In some areas, ‘zari’ medhas (decorative backdrops) are crafted by Muslim artisans. At Alisha Bazaar, the Puja preparations do not even begin without the involvement of the Muslim community. Ashraf Sk, a member of the Alisha Bazaar Puja Committee, explained that Durga Puja is integral to both Muslim and Hindu households in the area. “Our ancestors joined hands with Hindu families to start Durga Puja here, and this tradition continues to keep the spirit of brotherhood alive,” he said.

In this backdrop, a video has recently gone viral on social media, showing the vandalism of a Durga puja pandal. In the footage, several police personnel can be seen at the scene, along with others present during the incident.

Social media users have shared the video online, offering various opinions on the incident.

A user shared the video with a caption: 'This is Bhagyanagar, not Pakistan. We are in the midst of #Navaratri, the festival dedicated to Devi Maa. Such an act during this time is disgraceful'.

Another user shared, Not Pakistani Hyderabad but Congress ruled Indian Hyderabad

Fact Check:

We found the claim to be misleading. There is no communal violence involved in the vandalism of the Durga Puja mandap in Hyderabad.

During the reverse image search, we found an article published by siasat.com.

In the article Siasat mentioned, the Begum Bazar police arrested a man for allegedly damaging the idol of Durga idol at Numaish Grounds on Thursday night, October 10, in the city. The accused, Krishnaiah Goud is mentally disturbed and is a native of Nagarkurnool district. 

While searching with the keyword, we came across an article published by ANI with the title, One arrested for damaging Goddess Durga idol, event organisers booked too.

ANI also mentioned, "In the morning around 6:00 am we got a call that the Durga Mata idol which has been kept at the exhibition ground, the right hand has been damaged and the 'prasad' and other items kept at the feet of the idol were scattered. Immediately the team reached the spot in the morning and looked for the evidence, we checked CCTV footage and around 8:15 pm we caught one accused. The name of the accused is Krishnaiah Goud. He is a vagabond. He came to this pandal in the morning since he was feeling hungry and while searching for food, he scattered the Prasadam and in that disturbance, the idol got damaged," DCP Akshash Yadav said. He further said that they have also booked a case against the organizers of the event as there was "negligence" on their part.

"This incident happened because there was negligence on the part of the organizers. Whenever anybody keeps any idol on a public place then they have to fill an online intimation form. In that form, they have to give the name of volunteers who will be present round the clock. The organisers have given names of five volunteers but none on them were present when the incident happened. We have booked a case against the organizers," the DCP said.

In an article published by 'Telangana Today,' it was mentioned that Central Zone DCP Akshansh Yadav, in a late night press conference, 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.

Similarly, a journalist from Hyderabad posted on his X account that a beggar was arrested by the police in connection with the incident.

Hence, we found the claim to be misleading. The vandalism of the Durga Puja mandap at Numaish Ground holds no communal significance.