Did DMK Government Demolish Hindu Temple In Tamil Nadu In Targeted Manner? Video Viral With Misleading Claim

A video of a temple being demolished in Tamil Nadu is doing rounds on social media with a claim that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government, in a targeted manner, demolished a Hindu temple namely Tambaram Shri Ram Mandir, in Tamil Nadu. The video is shared claiming that DMK Government is targeting Hindu temples one by one. In the 46-second-video, we can see a lot of police and people standing near the temple while a crane is demolishing the temple.

The video is being shared on social media with a caption that reads, "Ancient temple Tambaram Sri Ram Mandir being demolished by DMK govt in Chennai. Yet another Targeted demolition of Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu".

Hinduism Now Global Press, a Facebook Page with almost 5 lakh followers, shared this video with the caption, "Another Temple Down in Tamil Nadu...Chennai Tambaram Ram Temple demolition anarchy! Even Akbar, Babur not #demolishing #Temples so much! #1000 #Temples #gone in recent months! Heal Yourself from the Malefic Impact of this #Hindumisia"

The video is being widely shared on Facebook & Twitter with similar claims.

Claim:

DMK government demolished Tambaram Shri Ram Mandir in Tamil Nadu in a targeted manner.

Fact Check:

The Logical Indian Fact Check team verified the claim and found it to be misleading.

During our investigation, we took the screenshot of the video and ran a google reverse image search. We found a report by India Today dated January 11, 2022. According to the report, the demolition of a temple near Tambaram, Tamil Nadu, ignited a lot of controversies. Following the controversies, the Tambaram Commissioner issued a clarification saying that other structures were also pulled down along with the temple in accordance with the 2015 Madras High Court directive. The structures were demolished because they were built over water bodies. Tambaram police commissioner M Ravi said a portion of a church compound was also demolished. Ravi warned strict action against people trying to disturb communal harmony.

We also found a report by the Ground Report on the same event. According to the report, around 20 people who protested and argued with the police for the demolition were reportedly detained in a nearby community room. The temple authority had requested a time extension until Hanuman Jayanti, i.e., April 16, 2022, but was not granted since the demolition was carried out independently.

East Coast Daily, an online news portal also reported about the incident. According to the report, Tambaram's police commissioner M Ravi said that not just the temple but also a portion of the church compound was demolished. Ravi stressed that strict action would be taken against anyone disturbing communal harmony.

Conclusion

Our investigation shows that the temple in Tambaram, Tamil Nadu was demolished because the structure was identified as encroachments built over water bodies. Prior notice was also given to the temple authorities. Other structures, including a Church, were also pulled down along with the temple in accordance with the 2015 Madras High Court directive. Therefore, the claim that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government is demolishing another Hindu temple in a targeted manner is false.

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