Old video clip of temple renovation from Vijaywada shared with a false, communal claim

Several social media users have shared a short video clip allegedly from Vijaywada that shows a JCB operating on the first floor of a building that looks dilapidated. In the same video, a mosque can also be spotted across the road. The video is being shared with the claim that the Andhra Pradesh government is demolishing a temple in order to widen the road while leaving the mosque untouched.

[Translated from: आंध्र प्रदेश के विजयवाड़ा में रोड चौड़ी करण में बाधा बन रही मस्जिद को छोड़कर मंदिर को तोड़ रही है आंध्र प्रदेश सरकार ]

Twitter @RUDRA_VSR, a BJP and RSS supporter, posted this video with the same claim.

विजयवाड़ा में सड़क चौड़ी करने के लिए एक शिव मंदिर तोड़ा जा रहा है जबकि उसके सामने वाली मजार को हाथ तक लगाने कि हिम्मत नहीं रही है वहां के क्रिश्चन मुख्यमंत्री जगमोहन रेड्डी की यह सब तुम्हारे भूल का नतीजा है हिंदुओं@KapilMishra_IND @YogiDevnath2 @AmanChopra_कृपया देखें🙏 pic.twitter.com/Kv1cepAoFk

— विश्वास राजपूत (रुद्र) (@RUDRA_VSR) March 16, 2022

This clip has been shared by at least 70 Facebook accounts in various high network pro-BJP or Hindutva groups or by similar pages such as — भाजपा लक्ष्य 2024 ( समर्थन के लिए जुड़े ) [10 lakh members], भाजपा का परिवार मेरा परिवार(यूपी मिशन 2022- भाजपा समर्थको का स्वागत है) [over 4 lakh members] Kangna Ranaut Group [over 2 lakh members] राजपुताना इतिहास और विरासत [over 2 lakh members], Sudarshan News [70K members], and Namo [50K followers]. You can view the full list here.

Video Verification

Alt News performed a keyword search on Twitter and discovered that the video dates back to 2020.

Alt News spoke with Vijayawada-based journalists and temple associates. They stated that both the claim as well as the video are old. As per them, the clip shows the renovation of Sri Vijayeshwara Swamy Vari Devasthanam, and not its demolition as claimed.

During our investigation, we also found that Facebook user Sri Rakesh Kurapati had posted a news clipping that shows the building in question. Earlier, NewsMeter fact-checked the video based on this clipping.

Using Google Lens, we translated the news clipping and found that report states that the video shows development initiatives at the Vijayeshwara temple. A part of the building consisting of shops was demolished in order to increase the area of the temple. On the right-hand side, the article also states that a clip of this renovation is being falsely shared as demolition.

Additionally, we requested a resident of Vijayawada to record the video of Vijayeshwara temple as it stands today. They shared the clip on the condition of anonymity. It can be clearly seen in this video that the temple hasn’t been demolished, and continues to stand in the same place

To sum it up, a clip of temple renovation in Vijayawada from 2020 was reshared on social media with the false claim that the Andhra Pradesh government demolished a temple to widen the road but not the mosque opposite to it.