A post accompanying an image that shows a construction in the middle of a highway-like road is being shared with a claim that a Mosque is being built on Hyderabad – Warangal highway, near Bhongir (Telangana). Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of a Mosque is being built on Hyderabad – Warangal highway, near Bhongir in Telangana.
Fact: This is a 2019 image that shows construction of the wall of a dargah situated in the middle of the Hyderabad -Warangal highway near Bhongir. However, following NHAI orders based on the complaint by Legal Rights Protection Forum, the concerned authorities removed the dargah. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Reverse image search of the photo led us to a tweet dated 09 September 2019 by Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) which shared the same image. As per the tweet, the image is of unauthorized construction of a religious structure in the middle of the road on NH163 near Bhongir, Telangana. The tweet further informs that they have lodged a complaint with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) against the construction.
An online news portal also reported this complaint by the Legal Rights Protection Forum against the construction. As reported in the article, one of the members of the Legal Rights Protection Forum confirmed to the news agency regarding the complaint. Further, the article reported that in their correspondence with the nodal officer for public grievances, NHAI assured them that the matter will be pursued.
In this regard, NHAI wrote a letter to the Telangana State Wakf board in November 2019 seeking the removal of the Islamic structure in the middle of the road. LRPF share the copy of the NHAI letter though a tweet in December 2020. In this letter, the NHAI says that this Dargah was existing during the four-laning of the highway during 2010-12. The NHAI asks the administration to remove & shift the structure because of road safety concerns.
As per this letter, the concerned project director identified the structure as a dargah, which was hit by a vehicle in April-May 2018 damaging the walls of the dargah. Following this incident, the concerned road authorities convened a meeting with the Dargah community and requested to shift the dargah as it is an accident-prone area. However, in September 2019, the dargah community started reconstruction of the damaged wall. The viral image was most likely captured during this time. Taking road safety into consideration, NHAI requested the dargah committee to shift the dargah.
Following the NHAI orders, the concerned authorities removed the dargah which is in the middle of the road. LRPF tweeted images of the removed dargah in April 2021. An online news portal has also reported all these series of events regarding the removal of the dargah which can be read here. Hence, this proves that the viral image is of a dargah in the middle of the Hyderabad – Warangal highway which is currently removed.
To sum it up, the dargah in the middle of Hyderabad – Warangal highway is removed due to road safety concerns.
