On 03 April 2025, the Supreme Court of India ordered a stay (here, here, and here) on the tree-felling activities being carried out by the Telangana government within the 400 acres of the Kancha Gachibowli region adjacent to the University of Hyderabad. As per the reports (here, here, and here), this region is home to several species of flora and fauna, which include migratory birds, peacocks, wild animals like spotted deer, wild boars, Indian rock pythons, Indian star tortoises, etc. As per news reports from April 2025, two deer in this region died (here, here, here, here, and here) in the aftermath of the Telangana government clearing the land in question. In this context, a video is going viral on social media (here, here, and here), with the claim that it shows a female police officer feeding homeless deer after bulldozers entered the Kancha Gachibowli area in Hyderabad. Let’s verify the claim made in the post through this article.
Claim: The video shows a female police officer feeding a homeless deer amid the ongoing controversy over the Kancha Gachibowli area in Hyderabad.
Fact: The video was filmed in Ajmer, Rajasthan, and shows Rajasthan Police officer Sanjeeda Sharif Mansuri feeding a deer. She confirmed to Factly that the video has no connection to Hyderabad and is unrelated to the land-clearing activities or the ongoing controversy in the Kancha Gachibowli area. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video led us to an Instagram post featuring the same video, shared on 4 April 2024. The video included an overlay text that read: “My mind was disturbed for 2-3 days after watching the video of the sounds of animals and birds that became homeless due to the bulldozer operation in the Gachibowli forests in Hyderabad, Telangana, during the dark night. So I thought I should do something for these voiceless creatures. Save nature.” The post description read “Save Nature, Save Life” and included the hashtag #Rajasthan.
Upon reviewing the Instagram handle, we found that the video was uploaded by Sanjeeda Sharif Mansuri (@smart_police_officer). Her bio identifies her as a motivational speaker and a Rajasthan Police officer. Her profile picture features the text “Ajmer Police” in the background, and another post on her account indicates that she is posted at the Alwar Gate Women’s Police Station in Rajasthan.
In one of the videos where she is seen in uniform, “Rajasthan Police” is clearly written, and the official Rajasthan Police badge is visible. We compared this badge with the one seen in the viral video and found them to be identical, confirming that she is from Rajasthan. The comparison can be seen below.
We contacted Sanjeeda Sharif Mansuri, who confirmed to Factly that the video was recorded in Ajmer, Rajasthan, and has no connection to Hyderabad.
To sum up, the viral video of a police officer feeding deer was filmed in Ajmer by a Rajasthan Police officer and has no connection to the Kancha Gachibowli in Hyderabad.
