Fact Check: Viral video showing demolition of a mosque-like structure is not from Uttarakhand but Indonesia
On Holi festival, a very significant Hindu festival of colors falling on Friday, mosques across a few states have
Claim :
A viral video shows a mosque being demolished in Uttarakhand, IndiaFact :
The video is not from India, it shows the demolition of a building in a fantasy park in Puncak, Indonesia
On Holi festival, a very significant Hindu festival of colors falling on Friday, mosques across a few states have announced to defer the timings of the Friday Namaz by an hour to maintain peace and brotherhood. Friday Namaaz prayers in mosques in the cities of Haridwar in Uttarakhand and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh have been postponed to the afternoon not to overlap with Holika Dahan's timings on Holi. Hindus would play Holi till 2.30 pm while Muslims would offer Jumma Namaz after 2.30 pm in some cities in Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the demolition of a mosque-like structure is in circulation on social media with a claim that the demolition occurred in Uttarakhand. Some X users shared this video with the caption in Hindi: “देवभूमि उत्तराखंड से सुकून वाला विडिओ प्राप्त हुआ।“ When translated, it claims that the video was received from the holy land of Uttarakhand.
Here is the archive link of the claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is False. The video is not from India and does not show demolition of a mosque.
When we extracted keyframes from the video and searched them using Google reverse image search, we found a few reports from Indonesia showing similar images and videos of the demolition of huge buildings including the building seen in the viral video. We found several YouTube videos showing the demolition of the same building from different angles with captions like “#Hibisc#fanyasypuncak#
When we translated these captions, we understood that the videos show the demolition of buildings in Hibisc Fantasy Park in Puncak, Indonesia. Taking a cue from these captions, we searched with the keywords “hibisc fantasy park demolition puncak”, and we got several news reports confirming that the building being demolished has no relation with India and is not a Mosque.
According to Jakarta Daily, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has set an ambitious goal to complete the demolition of illegal structures in the popular Hibisc Fantasy Puncak tourist area, Cisarua, Bogor Regency, before Eid. “My hope is to finish before Eid, but the legal process takes time, and we’re awaiting a decision from the Ministry of Environment,” Dedi said. Hibisc Fantasy Puncak’s building permit (PBG) covers only 4,800 square meters. However, the development has sprawled to 15,000 square meters, according to the Governor. Managed by West Java's regional-owned enterprise PT Jasa dan Kepariwisataan (Jaswita), the site is authorized for 14 structures, yet 25 additional buildings were built without proper permits.
“We’re focusing demolition efforts on the 25 unauthorized buildings. The entrance area may also be opened up because it doesn’t comply. There were no proposals for concrete roads, yet now there are concrete roads, making access problematic,” Dedi stated. Demolition efforts began on March 6, led by local residents, following a sealing operation carried out by Food Minister Zulkifli Hasan, Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, Governor Dedi Mulyadi, and Bogor Regent Rudy Susmanto. Structures dismantled by the community included the gateway and security post at the entrance to Hibisc Fantasy - Puncak. In addition to Hibiscus Fantasy, four other tourist sites in the Puncak area have been sealed for allegedly violating land-use regulations. These include Ciliwung Tea Factory at Telaga Saat, PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) I Regional 2 Agro Wisata Gunung Mas, and Eiger Adventure Land.
Therefore, the claim that the viral video shows the demolition of a mosque in Uttarakhand, India is False. The viral video shows the demolition of buildings in a fantasy park in Indonesia.
