Fact Check: Muslim man lights cigarette in Hindu temple? Here are the facts
India Today Fact Check found that the video was recorded in Ranamandala Anjaneya Swamy Temple in 2022, and the man smoking is not Muslim.
India Today Fact Check
A video of a man in a red T-shirt lighting a cigarette using a temple lamp is going viral on social media. Many alleged that this man was Muslim and that this video was from the Ranamandala Anjaneya Swamy Temple in Adoni, Andhra Pradesh.
India Today Fact Check found that while the video was recorded in the Ranamandala Anjaneya Swamy Temple, it’s from 2022 and that the man seen smoking is not Muslim.
OUR PROBE
Reverse-searching keyframes from the videos led us to a report published by The Times of India on July 8. According to it, the video is from 2022, and the person lighting the cigarette was identified as Vaddee Eranna. The video was reportedly recorded when Eranna visited the Shiva temple located on Ranamandal hill in Adoni with three friends during his Class 10 supplementary examination in 2022.
After a complaint filed by Boya Shivaraju of Gowlipeta in Adoni, the police have now registered a case under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
To confirm the religion of the accused, India Today Fact Check spoke to Sub-Inspector Ramnath Vijay Kumar of Adoni 1 Town police station. He said that Vaddee Eranna is Hindu. He also said, “The video was recorded in 2022. However, an FIR was registered against Eranna after the video went viral recently. He is currently in police custody.”
The Fact-Check unit of the Andhra Pradesh government, in a post on July 8, also confirmed that the video is from 2022 and the incident occurred at the Shiva temple in Adoni, Andhra Pradesh.
Thus, it is clear that the viral claims are false.
A video of a man in a red T-shirt lighting a cigarette using a temple lamp is going viral on social media. Many alleged that this man was Muslim and that this video was from the Ranamandala Anjaneya Swamy Temple in Adoni, Andhra Pradesh.
India Today Fact Check found that while the video was recorded in the Ranamandala Anjaneya Swamy Temple, it’s from 2022 and that the man seen smoking is not Muslim.
OUR PROBE
Reverse-searching keyframes from the videos led us to a report published by The Times of India on July 8. According to it, the video is from 2022, and the person lighting the cigarette was identified as Vaddee Eranna. The video was reportedly recorded when Eranna visited the Shiva temple located on Ranamandal hill in Adoni with three friends during his Class 10 supplementary examination in 2022.
After a complaint filed by Boya Shivaraju of Gowlipeta in Adoni, the police have now registered a case under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
To confirm the religion of the accused, India Today Fact Check spoke to Sub-Inspector Ramnath Vijay Kumar of Adoni 1 Town police station. He said that Vaddee Eranna is Hindu. He also said, “The video was recorded in 2022. However, an FIR was registered against Eranna after the video went viral recently. He is currently in police custody.”
The Fact-Check unit of the Andhra Pradesh government, in a post on July 8, also confirmed that the video is from 2022 and the incident occurred at the Shiva temple in Adoni, Andhra Pradesh.
Thus, it is clear that the viral claims are false.