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A photograph of a partly damaged Saraswati idol is being circulated on social media with the claim that it was a result of communally charged hooliganism.
"A Saraswati Idol which was placed near to Sringeri Sankara Mutt in Narasaraopet, Guntur District has been recently desecrated by miscreants. The Hooligans have poured alcohol on the idol and even the face of the idol has been destroyed completely," reads the caption of one such post.
The Hindu reported last month that YSR Congress member in Lok Sabha K. Raghu Rama Krishna Raju had alleged on September 20 that there was constructive destruction of Hindu temples in Andhra Pradesh and had sought that a dharmic commission be established to address the issue.
The claim is also viral on Facebook.
Claim:
Photograph shows a partly damaged Saraswati idol which was vandalized as a result of communally charged hooliganism.
Fact Check:
The claim is false.
A keyword search led to the same video which was uploaded by R9 News on October 6, 2020, in which Vijay Kumar, the owner of the land, explained that the land was given for lease to a private college which was removed two years back.
Reportedly, the idol was placed by the college authorities and was destroyed 2 years back. Therefore, it is not a recent incident.
The incident occurred in the Sringeri Shankara Math area of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
A keyword search on Twitter led to a tweet from the official account of Guntur Rural District Police, where a similar video was uploaded by calling it 'fake news.'
Below is a screenshot of the translated version of the tweet:
The video can be watched below:
Further, Guntur Police responded to a post with the false claim and asked the Twitter user to not spread false news.
Below is a screenshot of the translated version of the tweet:
The video can be watched below:
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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