A short video of a scuffle that broke out between two groups at Lal Darwaja locality in Hyderabad, on Saturday, over the installation of a Ganesh idol has gone viral over social media but with a communal twist. Several social media accounts claimed that the video showed an instance of Hindus being prevented of installing a Ganesh idol by Muslim. The police, however, clarified that the said incident was a squabble between members of a family over idol installation and that they all belonged to the same faith.
In the 1:10 minute-long video shot at the Lal Darwaja locality under the Mughalpura police station, several persons could be seen crowding around a Ganesh idol. Soon after a clunking sound supposedly that of a plate being dropped is heard in the background, several men begin exchanging blows with each other. The policemen on duty could be seen attempting to pull the men apart and the scuffle ends as the video ends. However this video has been making the rounds with several twitter handles claiming that local goods damaged the idol as they were opposed to the installation, the tweets also claimed that those who opposed the installation were trashed.
బలగంజ్,లాలదర్వాజా హైదరాబాద్ లో గణేష్ విగ్రహం పెడుతుంటే అభ్యంతరం తెలుపుతూ...విగ్రహం చేయి విరగొట్టిన వారిని చితగొట్టిన హిందు సోదరులు.
— Anusha Binny (@anushabinny) August 22, 2020
సమాధానం ఇలాగే ఉండాలి...జై శ్రీరామ్జై గణేష్ pic.twitter.com/XTFXjwn6IZ
Speaking to TNM, Station House Officer Mughalpura police station, said, “This is utter fake news. All those seen in the video are from the same religion, caste and even from the same family, they are relatives. One side of the family opposed installing Ganesh idol in front of their house. The other side asked what is the problem as the idol is kept at the location every year. They had an argument and the fight started after the hand of the idol broke,” said the officer who added, “There is no communal angle to this incident.”.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police for the Faluknama, MA Rasheed told TNM that there have been no reports of communal tension under his jurisdiction on the event of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.
The video is being shared with the hashtag #AntiHinduKCR insinuated that the state government has been against the celebration of the Hindu festival owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Several states had urged citizens to celebrate the festival at their homes which has irked right-wing groups.
In another video that has been doing the rounds claimed that the state government demolished a Ganesh idol stand at Errakunta village at Jangaon district. In the video two police officers could be seen removing poles of an unfinished Ganesh idol stand.
#AntiHinduKCR
— SaffronTelangana (@CutterHindhutva) August 22, 2020
KCR govt police demolished GANESH MANDAPAM in janagoan district ,errakunta Thanda. @bandisanjay_bjp @dhaarmicboy @Sagar4BJP @GayathriBandar7 @nbramllb @PradeepraoBJP @SheetalPronamo @RajeshMacha3
pl share it into whatsapp groups and expose kcr anti Hindu mindset. pic.twitter.com/U88ykw5bJF
B Sreenivasa, Reddy Deputy Commissioner of Police, West Jangaon told TNM that the video shot on August 21 is being misinterpreted, “The Ganesh idol stand was being built on a road that blocked ambulance access to part of the village. The village sarpanch made a formal request to the local police to help him remove the structure and the local officers helped him. That was all that happened, the village sarpanch has also put out a social media clarification after it came to light that the video is being misinterpreted,” the officer added.