A video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) shows a man being beaten by a group of people. The post claims that he is a Muslim man who allegedly attempted to destroy Hindu deities’ idols at a Ramalayam in the Bhimavaram area of Andhra Pradesh and was caught by locals and beaten with rods and sticks. The post also claims that he had a “hit list” and was part of a big gang targeting temples. Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Claim: A video shows locals beating up a Muslim man who allegedly attempted to destroy idols of Hindu deities at a Ramalayam in Bhimavaram.
Fact: There is no religious dimension to this incident. It occurred on the afternoon of 01 November 2024, near Kodanda Ram Temple close to Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh. According to the police officials, a man named Dileep, from Ravulapalem in Andhra Pradesh, has been roaming around Bhimavaram for three years, collecting waste papers and empty water bottles. On 30 October 2024, feeling distressed after being scolded and teased by some people, Dileep wrote a note addressed to “goddess.” On 01 November 2024, while wandering near the temple, he was questioned by the priest. Dileep reportedly responded arrogantly and refused to explain himself, which led locals to beat him for his behaviour. Police confirmed that he is a mental health patient and was admitted to a mental hospital in Vizag on the orders of a magistrate. No case was registered due to his mental condition. The police clarified that the incident has no religious angle, and that Dileep himself is a Hindu. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To get more information on this incident, we searched using relevant keywords and found a Dailyhunt article that describes the events. According to the report, on the afternoon of 01 November 2024, a man was seen wandering near the Kodanda Ram Temple close to Bhimavaram. Locals noticed him and began questioning him, becoming suspicious when he spoke in a language they didn’t understand. Fearing he might be responsible for damaging the temple idols, they started shouting at him, and some eventually attacked him. Bhimavaram Two Town Police then arrived and took him into custody after receiving information about the situation.
We accessed the FIR copy related to this case, which identifies the man as Polumati Dileep, age 35, belonging to the SC-Mala caste. This confirms that he is not Muslim.
To get more information, we contacted Bhimavaram Two Town Police Station about the incident. According to the officials, Dileep, originally from Ravulapalem of the neighbouring district, has been roaming around Bhimavaram for three years, collecting waste papers and empty water bottles. On 30 October 2024, feeling distressed after being teased by some people, Dileep wrote a note addressed to the goddess. On 01 November 2024, while wandering near the temple, he was questioned by the priest. Dileep reportedly responded arrogantly and refused to explain, prompting locals to beat him for his behaviour. Police stated that he is a mental health patient and was admitted to a mental hospital in Vizag on the orders of a magistrate. No case was registered due to his condition. The police clarified that the incident had no religious angle and confirmed that Dileep was Hindu.
To sum up, a video of a mentally ill man being beaten in Bhimavaram is falsely shared as a Muslim man attempting to vandalize an idol.
