Video of personal dispute in Hyderabad shared with false communal angle

Twitter user @kapilverma73 tweeted the viral video and wrote in Hindi, “After Ganesh ji’s idol was placed, Muslims started a brawl with Hindus. Their religion teaches them to hate Hindus.” This video was retweeted over 3,000 times and gained over 35,000 views below it was taken down. (archived link)

(Translated from हैदराबाद में गणेश जी की मूर्ति लगाने पर मुसलमानो ने हिन्दुओ के साथ मारपीट किया. मजहब ही सिखाता है हिन्दुओ से बैर रखना..)

@AshishJaggi_1, another twitter user, posted the viral video along with English text. He wrote, “This is happening in Hyderabad & not Pakistan. Some local goons were opposing to the installation of Shri Ganesha’s statue & damaged it too, then some brothers had to bash them. KCR thinks that he’s the next Nizam is teaming up with Razakars.” His post was retweeted close to 5,000 times. (archived link)

This is happening in Hyderabad & not Pakistan
Some local goons were opposing to the installation of Shri Ganesha’s statue & damaged it too,then some brothers had to bash them
KCR thinks that he’s the next Nizam is teaming up with Razakars#AntiHinduKCR pic.twitter.com/0gEIQJ4IRX

— Ashish Jaggi (@AshishJaggi_1) August 23, 2020

Telugu-speaking Twitter and Facebook users also shared the viral video. As per these posts, the incident took place in Lal Darwaja locality in Hyderabad and the idol was damaged in the fight. Twitter user @anushabinny tweeted the video claiming, “బలగంజ్, లాల్ దర్వజా హైదరాబాద్ లో గణేష్ విగ్రహం పెడుతుంటే అభ్యంతరం తెలుపుతూ…విగ్రహం చేయి విరగొట్టిన కొడుకుల్ని చితగొట్టిన టైగర్ అలె జితేందర్ అన్న మరియు హిందు సోదరులు. సమాధానం ఇట్లనే ఉండాలి… జై శ్రీరామ్.” This post gained over 88,000 views (archived link). Similarly, Facebook user Patel Prasad posted the viral video with an identical claim. It gained over 26,000 views (archived link).

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Fact-check

Alt News performed a keyword search on Google and found that The News Minute (TNM) published a report debunking the claim that the incident was sparked by communal tensions. The report quotes Station House Officer (SHO) Moghalpura police confirming that the fight was not between two communities.

Alt News contacted Moghalpura SHO who told us, “The video shows a tiff between two families. One of them had been celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in front of other party’s house since the last 40 years. However, due to COVID19, the family requested them to not celebrate the festival in front of their house. This resulted in the tiff. Both families are from the same community. There is no scope of communal angle.”

Telugu social media posts claimed that the idol was damaged in the fight. However, the policeman confirmed that it wasn’t adding, “the dispute was settled between the elders and no FIR has been filed.”

On August 25, Hyderabad’s Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar tweeted, “Warning. A small quarrel which took place within same community in Moghalpura was settled by Police and community elders. Some mischief makers have uploaded a video and projected it as an intercommunity issue. Such trouble makers are warned not to indulge in these mischieves.”

Warning. A small quarrel which took place within same community in Moghalpura was settled by Police and community elders. Some mischief makers have uploaded a video and projected it as an intercommunity issue. Such trouble makers are warned not to indulge in these mischieves.

— Anjani Kumar, IPS, Stay Home Stay Safe. (@CPHydCity) August 25, 2020

Thus, the social media claim that Muslims started a brawl after Hindu deity Ganesh’s idol was installed in Hyderbad is false.