The Telangana government allocated 400 acres in Survey No. 25 of Kancha Gachibowli, near the University of Hyderabad, for development through the Telangana Government Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC). Students alleged that the land belonged to the university, but officials claimed it was government land. Land leveling began on 30 March 2025, triggering protests from students, environmentalists, and opposition parties due to the presence of wildlife. The Supreme Court, on 03 April 2025, ordered a halt to tree-felling and directed a site inspection. Meanwhile, a deer was attacked by stray dogs, rescued, and taken for treatment. In this context, a video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) shows burnt carcasses of animals lying in scorched grass. The posts claim that the visuals are from Hyderabad Central University. Let’s verify the claim made in the post through this article.
Disclaimer: This article contains sensitive visuals that may distress some viewers; reader discretion is advised.
Claim: The video shows the burnt carcasses of animals lying in scorched grass at Hyderabad Central University.
Fact: The video shows a fire incident that occurred on 05 March 2025 in Majra Vishnupur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh, where 21 houses were gutted, and four goats died. The video is not from Hyderabad Central University and is unrelated to the Kancha Gachibowli controversy, as it predates the ongoing issue. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to the same video (archived) posted on 05 March 2025 by the Instagram user @abisekabisel. This confirms that the footage predates the Kancha Gachibowli controversy.
We found that the account had posted several other videos related to arson on 05 March 2025. After examining these videos closely, we noticed a comment under one of the posts dated 05 March 2025, where a user mentioned the location of the incident as Bishnupur.
Taking clues from the post, we used relevant keywords and came across multiple media reports (here, here) dated 06 March 2025. According to these reports, on the afternoon of 05 March, a fire—triggered by a spark from cow dung—broke out in Majra Vishnupur of Gram Panchayat Babaura under the Majhgain police station limits in Lakhimpur Kheri. The fire destroyed 21 houses and claimed the lives of four goats, while property worth lakhs of rupees was also damaged.
To sum up, the viral video is from a fire incident in UP and predates the Kancha Gachibowli controversy.
