Fact Check: Viral video of demolition of a temple’s entrance makes a false claim
A video showing a man demolishing the entrance of a religious building is going viral on social media with the claim that this incident took place in Kerala and the structure being demolished is a temple.
A video showing a man demolishing the entrance of a religious building is going viral on social media with the claim that this incident took place in Kerala and the structure being demolished is a temple. The narrative also claims that the 40% Hindus are not able to save temples because Kerala has become an undeclared Islamic state where temples are not considered sacred.
The narrative in Hindi goes as “यह है केरल के हालात जहां हिन्
Fact Check:
The claim is false. This incident took place in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, in October 2022.
When we performed Google reverse image search using the key frames extracted from the video, we found that it was shared by several Twitter users in October 2022 with the caption: “The upper caste Ashraf Muslims in AP’s Guntur have demolished with full impunity the dargah revered by BC Nagoor Meera & Dudekula Pasmanda Muslims. I strongly condemn the act of snatching away the religious rights of BC Muslims & demand strict action against the perpetrators.”
The video was also shared by Zeenews India report.
When searching with the keywords “dargah demolished in AP Guntur”, we found articles published on several news websites.
According to a report published in India Today, a few people tried to demolish a dargah in LR Nagar area of the Guntur district on October 12, 2022. They wanted to build a masjid in place of this dargah but the locals opposed it. People from all communities have been offering prayers at the dargah for the past 40 years.
Lalapet police station circle inspector Prabhakar said that the Baji Baba dargah was established by AS Ratnam alias Rahman who lived in the area for the past 40 years. He built a samadhi for his wife on the same land 15 years ago. He told his daughter and neighbours to construct a mosque on the same land after his death. The police said that they informed about the issue to the revenue officials to check the land particulars and also the rightful owner of the land. Until the issue is resolved, the dargah will be closed.
He further added, “We have not received any complaints, but sensing mild tension we have written to the RDO to stall the work and also requested people not to enter. The arch had a ‘naga’ structure along with a moon and star that represented a dargah. However, as there was no complaint filed, no case has been registered. The situation is peaceful now.”
Here is the YouTube video of the inspector’s statement.
The video was also viral in October 2022 with the claim that a temple was destroyed in Andhra Pradesh. It was debunked by Factly. in
Therefore, the video does not show the demolition of the temple in Kerala. It shows the demolition of a dargah in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh which took place in October 2022. The claim is false.