A video widely shared on social media (here, here, and here) shows the demolition of a multi-story building. The posts sharing this video claim that it shows demolitions by HYDRA in Kokapet, Hyderabad. Let’s find out the truth behind the video.
Claim: Visuals of a multi-story building being demolished by HYDRA (Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection) in Kokapet, Hyderabad.
Fact: While HYDRA was established in July 2024, the video was available on the internet at least since 25 April 2023. Though there are reports of HYDRA demolishing some structures in Kokapet recently, this video is not related to any demolition by HYDRA. Hence, the claim is MISLEADING.
In July 2024, the Chief Minister of Telangana A. Revanth Reddy directed the creation of HYDRA (Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection) to safeguard government lands, lakes and nalas from encroachment. Based on the National Disaster Management Act, HYDRA works in coordination with GHMC, the Water Board, Vigilance, and other departments for effective city management.
HYDRA was established in July 2024 and began its operations in Hyderabad. HYDRA had reportedly reclaimed multiple acres of encroached land in the past few months. Certain illegal structures were also reportedly demolished by HYDRA in the Kokapet area of Hyderabad recently. However, we did not find any demolition video by HYDRA that resembles the one shared in the post.
To verify the authenticity of the viral video, we conducted a reverse image search on Google. This led us to a YouTube video published on 12 October 2023, which featured the same footage in a flipped version, accompanied by a caption claiming that the building demolition took place in China.
A comparison between the viral video and the 2023 video uploaded on YouTube clearly indicates that both show the demolition of the same building.
Additionally, we found the same video uploaded on a Chinese website called Bilibili on 25 April 2023, further validating that the demolition of the building in question occurred much before the creation of HYDRA in Telangana.
To sum up, an old video of building demolition is falsely attributed to recent demolitions by HYDRA in Kokapet, Hyderabad.
