Muslims pelted stones at Ganesh idol in Karnataka? Hindu groups’ scuffle given false communal spin

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Amid Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations across the country, a video of two individuals hurling objects from a rooftop at a procession carrying the deity went viral. Several social media shared the video, claiming that the individuals were Muslims and pelting stones at the procession.

Kreately Media, which has shared communal misinformation on several occasions, shared the video on X on September 4 and wrote, “They hate idol worshippers”. (Archive)

Another X user, @wokeflix_, also shared the video with the caption “Desh ke Gaddaron ko…”. This is a reference to the inflammatory slogan “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaron ***lon ko” (Shoot the traitors). In the past, this slogan has been raised during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and is often used to target Muslims, not just traitors. (Archive)

Sharing the video, X user @jpsin1 sarcastically remarked, “So now, can’t Muslims in India even throw stones at Lord Ganesha’s idol?” (Archive)

Several other users shared the video, claiming that the men in the video were Muslims. (Archives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). Many of those who shared this video often share pro-Right and communally senstive content on their timelines.

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Fact Check

Alt News carefully analysed the video and geo-located the place where the incident took place. The location is near Petla Burz Road in Raichur, Karnataka. Below is a comparison between a still from the viral video and the Google Street View of the place.

Using keyword searches, we also found a local news report of the incident in Kannada publication, Ee Dina. According to this, a scuffle broke out on August 31 between the followers of Daddy Veeresh and BJP leader U. Narasareddy over personal reasons. During the scuffle, miscreants reportedly threw chilli in the eyes of the inspector of the Market Yard Police Station, who came to control the situation and stones were also pelted at the procession. As the situation got out of hand, the police resorted to a mild lathi charge to disperse the people and confiscated the DJ set. Four people were injured in the incident and are being treated at the city’s RIMS Hospital. As the verbal altercation between the two groups continued into the morning, police were deployed for additional security.

The incident was also reported by the Kannada daily Prajawani (clipping below). According to their report, the fight was between two mandalis who organised the Ganesh puja and happened near Gadwal Road in Raichur. The report specified clearly that the fight took place between people of the same community. While no case was filed, the police are investigating the incident, the report said. Other details remain the same as above.

 

Alt News then reached out to Raichur’s superintendent of police, Puttamadaiah M, who confirmed that both parties in the scuffle were Hindu. Additionally, he told us that the scuffle broke out because one group did not want the other group to carry out the procession. The SP categorically refuted any communal angle in the incident.

Thus, the video showing two people throwing stones at a Ganesh Chaturthi procession is viral with false communal narratives. This was not a case of Muslims pelting stones at a Hindu deity, but a local fight between two groups organising the Ganesh puja. The parties involved in the scuffle were Hindu.

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