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| - Fact Check: No temples were harmed in this video! Dargah demolition in Andhra given communal spin
The structure being demolished in the video is a dargah or a Muslim shrine. It was being demolished to construct a mosque in its place. However, the demolition has been put on hold.
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India Today Fact Check
The structure being demolished in the video is a dargah or a Muslim shrine - not a temple. It was being demolished to construct a mosque in its place. However, the demolition has been put on hold.
“Jihadis demolished an ancient temple in Andhra Pradesh. Wake up Hindus, wake up! This is happening in independent India,” screamed an alarming tweet. Alongside it was a video that showed a few men demolishing an archway. The men wore skull caps.
This video was shared by many online, who all made similar claims. Some alleged without sharing the video that “a Hindu Naga temple” was demolished by Muslims in Andhra Pradesh.
AFWA’s investigation, however, found that the structure being demolished in the video was not a temple. In fact, it was the gate of a Muslim shrine or dargah.
AFWA PROBE
A keyword search on Google led us to an India Today report. It said that tensions rose in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur after a few people tried to demolish a dargah at LR Nagar to construct a mosque on October 12. Locals intervened and stopped them.
Following this, we spoke to Abdul Basheer, India Today’s principal correspondent in Guntur. Basheer confirmed the sequence of events stated in the report. He also shared a different video of the same incident where people could be seen breaking a green wall inside a compound.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
According to an inspector at the Lalapet Police Station in Guntur, the Baji Baba dargah was established by AS Ratnam alias Rahman, who resided at LR Nagar for 40 years. Per the police, 15 years ago, Rahman set up a shrine for his wife on a piece of land he owned. He also allegedly informed his daughter and neighbours to construct a mosque there after his death.
Rahman succumbed to Covid-19 in 2020 and following this, his daughter, who was his legal heir, donated the land for a mosque to be constructed. The police said, however, families in the neighbourhood demanded that it must remain a dargah.
“We have not received any complaints. But due to the mild tensions, we have written to the RDO to put a hold on the demolition and also requested people not to enter the disputed area. The arch had a naga structure along with a crescent and a star that represents a dargah. However, as there was no complaint filed, no case has been registered. The situation is peaceful,” the inspector said.
Therefore, it is clear that the video being shared is of a dargah, not a temple.
(Written by Mayank Anandan)
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