Images of broken idols have surfaced on social media platforms with communal claims. The images showing destroyed Ganesha’s idol lying on the ground have been shared with the claim that Muslims destroyed Ganesha’s idol at a temple in Siddharthnagar’s Taulihawa village. However, D-Intent Data has found that these claims are not true. The idols were damaged by the temple priest himself and tried to implicate two youths belonging to the minority community.
Misleading claims about the viral image destroyed Ganesha’s idol at a temple
Sharing the image, an account @YogendraJayswal on X (Formerly Twitter) wrote. Very sad, Muslims broke the idol of Shri Ganesh ji in village Taulihawa of Kathela Samay Mata area of Siddharthnagar police station. Expecting strictest legal action from the police administration. Later, he deleted the post.
Truth behind the communal claims that Muslims destroyed Ganesha’s idol at a temple, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the images of broken idols came to our notice, we conducted research and found a Police statement on the official X(Twitter) account of Siddharthnagar Police.
According to the police, On 16 July, Krich Ram submitted a complaint at Kathela Samaymata police station. And alleged that the two young men, Mannan and Sonu, had vandalised the idol in the temple in Taulihawa village. Police registered a case against both Mannan and Sonu.
When a team of local police personnel and the sub-divisional magistrate visited the spot to further investigate the matter. They were told by a group of children that it was the priest (or ‘sadhu baba’ as they called him) himself who had broken the idol, an act to which the children were eyewitnesses as they were playing nearby.
Believing their testimony, the police closely questioned the priest and soon learned that he was involved in an ongoing dispute with the families of Mannan and Sonu and had hoped to implicate them in a criminal case. “He has confessed to his crime, and we will take legal action against him, the police said.
Hence, it is evident from the police statement that the communal claims being circulated on social media are false and baseless. The priest himself damaged the idols and tried to implicate the two youths belonging to the Muslim community.
Intent
Social media users are circulating false claims made by the temple priest to create communal disharmony in the region.
Conclusion
Claim- Muslims vandalized Ganesha idol at a temple in Siddharthnagar’s Taulihawa village.
Fact- The temple priest himself broke the idols. And tried to implicate two youths belonging to the Muslim community because he had a personal dispute with them.
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