DigitEye India Fact Checkers
A viral video showing a damaged Durga idol, surrounded by offerings in disarray, has sparked outrage on social media. The footage is being circulated with claims that the incident took place in Hyderabad, India, with a communal undertone.
Outrageous: Maa Durga idol vandalized in Hyderabad..
Not Pakistani Hyderabad but Congress ruled Indian Hyderabad..#DurgaPujo2024 pic.twitter.com/KojkQypzRz
— Sumit Mitra•সুমিত মিত্র (@sumit_mitra4) October 11, 2024
The idol of Maa Durga has been vandalized in Nampally Ground. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Begum Bazar Police Station.
When I raised my voice for the Bhagyalaxmi Temple, I was served a notice through ‘X’ and my handle was restricted. But I won’t back down.
This is… pic.twitter.com/QqaglpxTqd
— Abhishek Agarwal 🇮🇳 (@AbhishekOfficl) October 11, 2024
The claim reads: “Outrageous: Maa Durga idol vandalized in Hyderabad… Not Pakistani Hyderabad but Congress-ruled Indian Hyderabad.”
Another claim reads:”The idol of Maa Durga has been vandalized in Nampally Ground. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Begum Bazar Police Station. When I raised my voice for the Bhagyalaxmi Temple, I was served a notice through ‘X’ and my handle was restricted. But I won’t back down.”
Social media users of X are sharing the video with allegations suggesting a communal motive behind the vandalism. The post has gone viral with many echoing similar sentiments as can be accessed here and here.
FACT-CHECK
When Digiteye India received a request to fact-check the claim, we searched for the incident, which occurred at a Durga pandal in the Exhibition Ground at Hyderabad’s Nampally but found no communal angle. Search for news led us to Hyderabad Central Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Akshansh Yadav’s clarification that the vandalism was carried out by Krishnaiah Goud, a “vagabond” from Nagarkurnool district who suffers from mental health issues.
Local news reports by Telangana Today and New Indian Express confirm that Goud entered the pandal early in the morning, reportedly in search of food. Frustrated when he didn’t find any, he lashed out, damaging the idol and surrounding items. DCP Yadav clarified that Goud’s actions were not driven by communal motives but by hunger and a lack of mental stability.
#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: DCP, Central Zone Akshahsh Yadav says, “In the morning around 6:00 am we got a call that the Durga Mata idol which has been kept in the exhibition ground, the right hand has been damaged and the ‘prasad’ and other items kept at the feet of the idol… https://t.co/Omskp4nvEL pic.twitter.com/dbcUvBCt41
— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2024
In the video seen above and posted on X by ANI, DCP Yadav can be reiterating that Goud confessed to the act and emphasized that there was no communal tension involved.
Claim: Maa Durga idol vandalized in Hyderabad. Not Pakistani Hyderabad but Congress ruled Indian Hyderabad.
Conclusion: Misleading. The viral video of the vandalized Durga idol was allegedly by Krishnaiah Goud, a homeless man looking for food, with no communal connotations, confirm Telangana Police.
Rating: Misleading — 
