A video showing shattered pieces of an idol of the goddess Durga, on the ground is being shared on social media with a false and communal claim that Muslims broke the statue of a Hindu deity in Hyderabad.
BOOM spoke to the Hyderabad police who ruled out any communal angle to the incident. Begum Bazar Police SHO G. Vijay Kumar clarified that the sole accused in this case is Krishnaiah Goud, who suffered from a mental health condition and is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital.
In the one minute and 36 seconds video, a man records visuals of the shattered Durga idol along with puja items scattered on the ground. The footage also shows garlands strewn across the floor and a broken piece of the idol.
The video was shared with a Hindi caption that translates to, "Durga Mata's idol was vandalised by Islamic Jihadi terrorists in Hyderabad, Anger erupted among the local Hindu people."
(Original Text in Hindi: हैदराबाद में इस्लामिक जिहादी आतंकियों ने तोड़ी गई दुर्गा माता की मूर्ति, स्थानीय हिंदू लोगों में फूटा आक्रोश.)
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Fact Check
BOOM ran a keyword search on X and found the same video posted on the official X account of Telangana-based news outlet NewsMeter on October 11, 2024.
NewsMeter's post mentioned that the incident occurred at Nampally Exhibition Grounds in Hyderabad, where the idol of Goddess Durga was vandalised by unidentified miscreants. It also stated that a team from Begum Bazar police station visited the site to conduct further investigation after the incident.
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A report by Deccan Chronicle on October 11 quoted a senior police officer stating that a watchman alerted authorities after discovering the vandalism. The officer also mentioned that CCTV cameras had been damaged and the power supply was cut during the puja, citing Kishore, a worker involved in organising the event and cleaning the idol's premises.
We also found a post by a journalist from October 12 featuring a video of DCP Central Zone Akshansh Yadav, who said that the accused, Krishnaiah Goud, came to the pandal in the morning because he was hungry. While searching for food, he scattered the prasadam, unintentionally damaging the idol, added the DCP.
Yadav further stated that the police have filed a case against the organisers, as regulations require a volunteer to be present on-site at all times, but no one was there when the incident occurred.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
BOOM reached out to G. Vijay Kumar, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Begum Bazar Police Station. In response to inquiries about the viral claim, Kumar ruled out any involvement of a Muslim individual in the incident.
Kumar told BOOM, "No Muslim is involved in this case. The sole accused is Krishnaiah Goud, who has been mentally unstable since 2016 and is undergoing treatment at Erragadda Hospital."