Clash between two Hindu groups during Ganesh immersion in Karnataka’s Raichur is being shared with a false communal narrative
A video (here, here and here) is going viral on social media claiming to show two persons, alleged to be Muslims, pelting stones at a Ganesh immersion rally, which led to a clash. Let’s uncover the truth behind this video.
Claim: The video shows Muslims pelting stones during a Ganesh immersion procession in Raichur, Karnataka.
Fact: The viral video shows an incident that involved a clash between two Hindu groups during a Ganesh immersion in Raichur, Karnataka, on 6 September 2025. The accused, local residents Prashant and Praveen, were arrested by the police. There is no communal angle in the incident. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
To verify the viral video, we conducted a reverse image search on Google, which led us to several news reports (here, here, here and here), including keyframes of the visuals. According to these reports, on 6 September 2025, stone pelting occurred during a Ganesh idol immersion procession in Raichur, injuring two people, Vinay and Ganesh, who were admitted to RIMS Hospital. Locals recorded the incident and handed the accused over to the police. The arrested men, identified as Prashant and Praveen, admitted to throwing stones due to an old enmity with the victims, and not for any communal reason. The names of the accused also indicate that they belong to the Hindu community.
To verify the identity of the accused, we contacted the Raichur Sadar Bazaar police. They confirmed that the incident had no religious angle, and both groups involved were Hindus, contrary to what is claimed in the video. The police also clarified that the stones were thrown at people, not at the Ganesh idol.
At the same time, on 7 September 2025, news reports stated that a Ganpati immersion procession in Maddur town, Mandya, Karnataka, was disrupted by stone pelting near a mosque, sparking clashes (here and here). Subsequently, on 8 September 2025, people took to the streets in protest (here and here). However, the viral video has no connection to this incident.
To sum up, a clash between two Hindu groups during Ganesh immersion in Karnataka’s Raichur is being shared with a false communal narrative.