Communal disinformation: Knife-wielding man in MP temple falsely identified as a Muslim

A video circulating on social media shows a man wielding a cleaver and threatening two others, at one point pushing and intimidating them.

The clip is being shared with claims that the assailant is a Muslim man who entered the Chintaman Ganesh Temple in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, and carried out a “deadly attack” on the priest.

X user Oxomiya Jiyori (@SouleFacts), who has been found sharing misinformation and communal propaganda several times in the past, posted the viral clip on March 17, claiming that a Muslim person had carried out an attack on the temple priest. (Archive) 

This is India’s terrified Muslim (डरा हुआ मुसलमान,) who, out of fear, entered a temple and carried out a deadly attack with a weapon on the priest…..

Incident location – Ancient Chintaman Ganesh Temple in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh….@MPPoliceDeptt Please take appropriate… pic.twitter.com/vKNIgicas6

— Oxomiya Jiyori 🇮🇳 (@SouleFacts) March 17, 2026

X user Jitendra Pratap Singh (@jpsin1), who has also been found by Alt News several times in the past spreading misinformation and communal propaganda, posted the clip with similar claims, urging the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh to be more vigilant of such occurrences. At the time of this article being written, the post has managed to accumulate more than 1.5 lakh views. (Archive) 

ये है भारत का तथाकथित डरा हुआ सताया हुआ मुसलमान 🚨

मध्य प्रदेश के सीहोर के प्राचीन चिंतामन गणेश मंदिर के अंदर एक मुसलमान तलवार लेकर घुसा और मंदिर के पुजारी को जान से मारने की कोशिश किया

डॉ. मोहन यादव सो रहे हैं जबकि हिंदू मंदिरों और पुजारियों पर खुलेआम हमले हो रहे हैं 🤡 pic.twitter.com/8Yu4MffVYi

— 🇮🇳Jitendra pratap singh🇮🇳 (@jpsin1) March 17, 2026 

It is pertinent to add that Singh is followed on X by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Fact Check

To verify whether the claims surrounding the viral clip were accurate, first, we ran a relevant keyword search to see if the incident had been reported by any reputable news agency.

We came across a news report from Bhaskar English, published on July 26, 2025, which carried the same visuals. This indicates that the incident is not a recent one.

The man seen wielding the knife has been identified as Mahesh Yadav. Reports indicate that he confronted two individuals at the temple—one of them the priest’s son—over a monetary dispute. Yadav had allegedly spent a significant amount on a case related to the priest and claimed the money was not repaid, following which he entered the temple premises with a knife to recover his dues.

A press briefing shared by the Sehore superintendent of police on X also confirms the assailant’s identity as Mahesh Yadav. He has been booked under Sections 296 and 351(2) of the BNS, along with Section 25 of the Arms Act, as stated by Sehore CSP Dr Abhinandana Sharma.

प्रेस नोट
आज दिनांक 26.07.25 को गणेश मंदिर के पुजारी को एक व्यक्ति द्वारा धारदार हथियार के साथ डराने धमकाने संबंधी वीडियो सोशल मीडिया के माध्यम से संज्ञान में आया था l पुजारी द्वारा सीसीटीवी फुटेज संलग्न कर एक आवेदन पत्र थाना मंडी में प्रस्तुत किया गया हैं जिसके आधार पर थाना मंडी… pic.twitter.com/TsiMZsGAKu

— SP_SEHORE (@SpSehore) July 26, 2025

To sum up, an old video, involving a man named Mahesh Yadav threatening a temple priest with a cleaver over a monetary dispute is being falsely amplified on social media with communal tones, with allegation that the assailant was a Muslim.