Was A Temple Destroyed In Guntur To Build A Mosque? No, Viral Claim Is False!

Image Credit: Twitter/Tarek Fatah

The Logical Indian Crew

Was A Temple Destroyed In Guntur To Build A Mosque? No, Viral Claim Is False!

We found that the claim that a temple was demolished in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh is false. The religious structure is a dargah established by a person named AS Rahman who was a resident in the area since the past 40 years.

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A viral video showing a group of people attempting to destroy a religious structure is circulating across social media. The viral video is being widely shared with the claim that Muslims in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur demolished an ancient Hindu temple.

Claim:

In the video, people wearing skullcaps are using hammers to break down the entrance of a religious structure. The entrance of the religious structure has two icons with religious characteristics: snakes and a crescent moon and star. A group of people can be seen protesting and opposing their actions.

The caption of the viral video reads, "Jihadis demolish ancient temple in Andhra Pradesh. Wake up Hindus. This is happening in independent India".


Author and right-wing personality Anshul Pandey shared the same claim across social media. The caption of his post reads, "40 years old Naga temple attached by peaceful people at Guntur constituency of Andhra Pradesh 17th ward. Police have no information about registering an FIR."

On Twitter, Tarek Fatah, who is known for spreading communal misinformation, quote tweeted Anshul Pandey's tweet. The claim by Fatah reads, "Smashing a 40-year-old Hindu Temple in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh."

The claim is viral across Twitter and Facebook.


Image Credit: Facebook

Fact Check:

The Logical Indian fact-check team verified the viral claim and found it to be false.

We conducted a keyword search with terms such as 'Guntur mosque demolished'. We then came across a report by India Today published on October 18, 2022, titled, 'Tensions over dargah being demolished to build Mosque in Andhra's Guntur; situation under control, say cops.'

Image Credit: India Today

The India Today article reads that dargah was being demolished to construct a Mosque in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur. As per the article, the incident took place at LB Nagar in Guntur on October 12.

Quoting sources, the India Today report notes, "people belonging to all communities have been offering prayers at the dargah for the past 40 years." The report also quotes an inspector with Lalapet Police saying that the dargah is named Baji Baba dargah. The religious structure was established by AS Ratnam alias Rahman who has lived in the area for the past 40 years.

"He set up a samadhi for his wife in the same land 15 years ago. He informed his daughter and neighbours to construct a mosque after his death," the report adds.

Reportedly, the AS Ratnam passed away in 2020 due to Covid. Following his demise, his daughter, who is the legal heir, donated the land to construct a mosque. "But four to five families in the neighbourhood demand that it must remain a dargah," said the inspector, as per the India Today report.

Image Credit: India Today

Alongwith the report, we also came across a tweet by BJP National Secretary and in-charge of Andaman & Nicobar, Y. Satya Kumar, who tweeted that a dargah was demolished in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

The tweet contained the viral video, and the caption reads, "The upper caste Ashraf Muslims in AP's Guntur have demolished with full impunity the dargah revered by BC Nagoor Meera & Dudekula Pasmanda Muslims.

I strongly condemn the act of snatching away the religious rights of BC Muslims & demand strict action against the perpetrators."

In our Fact Check, we also came across this post on Facebook by user Mohamed Altaraja. The post contains the viral video and was uploaded on October 13, 2022. The user refers to the religious structure as a dargah with the name of 'Hazrat Baji Baba Nishan'. However, as per the user, Hindu-Muslim sentiments are attached to the place.

We also came across a report by The New Indian Express published on 17 October 2022. The report titled, 'Miscreants tries to demolish place of worship in AP's Guntur' stated that the Bhaji Bhasha Nishani Dargah in LR Nagar in Guntur was attempted to be destroyed.

The TNIE report quotes sources, saying that people belonging to all communities have been offering prayers at the dargah for the past 40 years.

The New Indian Express report states, "When the landowner died a few years ago, his daughter had urged the locals to continue offering prayers. As the dargah was dilapidated, the locals also collected money to begin repair work." The report added that a few people tried to bring down the walls of the dargah, claiming that they would construct a new wall. "Tensions sparked when the locals tried to stop them. Upon receiving information, police rushed to the spot and prevented any untoward incidents."

The New Indian Express report quotes inspector Prabhakar of Lalapet Police Station saying that the dargah would be closed until revenue officials check the land and ascertain the rightful owner.

We came across an article published in the Telegu news outlet, 'Eenadu'. The article is on a press conference held by police inspector Prabhakar at Lalapet police station regarding the incident.

He noted that there was no communal angle to this issue. Inspector Prabhakar also noted that strict action would be taken against those who attempted to instigate religious unrest through social media posts.

The Logical Indian Fact Check Team contacted the Lalapet Police Station where we were notified that the communal claim is false. We also spoke to Inspector Prabhakar of the Guntur Police Station who refuted the viral claim. He said, "The dargah was established by Ratnam alias Rahman who was the resident for 40 years in the area and he died in 2020. His daughter handed over the site for the construction of a Masjid, however, the local people who hold prayers there were against the decision. The people in the video tried to demolish the dargah because of the wish of building a mosque."

He also that Rahman was a Christian who later converted to a Muslim. "As his late wife's name was Naga Ratnam, he put the symbols of snakes along with the moon and star at the dargah. The people sharing fake news are just noticing the nag statue" said Inspector Prabhakar. He also mentioned that the police is taking legal action against those who are spreading fake news.

Conclusion:

In our Fact Check, we found that the claim that a temple was demolished in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh is false. The religious structure is a dargah established by a person named AS Rahman who was a resident in the area since the past 40 years. The symbols of snakes do not represent religious symbols as stated by the Guntur police. The Lalapet Police have asserted that the communal claims in this case are false.

If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.

Also Read: Old Video From 2018 Circulated As Recent Incident Of A Crowd Rushing To UP-PET Exam Centres

Contributors Suggest Correction
Writer : Jakir Hassan
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Editor : Bharat Nayak
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Creatives : Jakir Hassan

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