Old video from Tamil Nadu falsely viral as Muslims vandalised Ambedkar's statue in Kerala - Alt News
Priyanka Jha
17th August 2021 / 7:20 pm / Last updated: 17th August 2021
Recently, a video of an Ambedkar statue being desecrated has been circulating widely on social media platforms. It is being claimed that Muslims in Kerala were responsible for damaging the statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar with their swords. Users sharing the clip are asking, “Where are those people who shout the slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ and ‘Jai Meem’?” (Archive link)
*केरल में मुसलमानों द्वारा खुलेआम तलवार लेकर डॉ भीमराव अंबेडकर की प्रतिमा को खंडित किया गया* 😡
*जय भीम और जय मीम का नारा लगाने वाले इस समय कहाँ है और खामोश क्यों हैं?*
⬇️⬇️ @Aimim_Sai_Kumar @Dr_Uditraj pic.twitter.com/Cvol0tUHy4
— Jagat Darak HINDU🇮🇳 (@jagat_darak) August 13, 2021
Several users on Facebook also posted the link with the same claim. (1, 2, 3, 4)
A reverse image search of a still from the video led us to a few news reports from August 2019. They reveal that the video is originally from Tamil Nadu where a statue of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar was vandalized after a clash between two groups. A video report by the Free Press Journal dated August 26, 2019, contains some scenes from the viral video.
According to reports, the clash was between two caste groups.
Twenty-eight people have been arrested after clashes broke out between two caste groups in Vedaranyam town in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu on Sunday and a statue of BR Ambedkar was vandalised. The statue has now been replaced by a new bronze one.https://t.co/qQd573g59W
— Express Chennai (@ie_chennai) August 26, 2019
Thus, a video showing the aftermath of a caste-related clash that took place in Tamil Nadu two years ago was falsely shared as recent while targeting the Muslim community of Kerala.
She specializes in information verification, examining mis/disinformation, social media monitoring and platform accountability. Her aim is to make the internet a safer place and enable people to become informed social media users. She has been a part of Alt News since 2018.
Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi recently performed aarti at the Narmada Ghat in Madhya Pradesh’s Omkareshwar…
In the wake of the alleged murder of Shraddha Walkar by his partner Aftab Amin…
The video of a group of people stopping an e-rickshaw with BJP flags attached to…
Last week during the G20 summit in Bali, world leaders were informed of a missile…
Recently, several prominent BJP leaders claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had intervened to stop…