A post accompanying video of a man speaking in an aggressive tone to police personnel is being widely shared across social media platforms with a claim that reads ‘in Hyderabad 2 Muslim leaders threaten SHO and Police party, who approached them to serve a court order to vacate an encroached Hindu temple land in place of which they are developing a mosque’. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Muslim leaders speaking aggressively to police, who tried to stop them building a Mosque by encroaching Hindu temple.
Fact: Majid Hussain, Corporator of Mehdipatnam ward of GHMC was involved in a heated argument with police when the latter tried to stop an ongoing tussle between Majid’s group and others over the ownership of a property (land) in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. According to Police and news reports, the tussle is a civil dispute between two factions who claim ownership of a property, and the issue has nothing to do with construction of a Mosque or encroachment of a Temple. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The video in the post shows Majid Hussain, Corporator of Mehdipatnam ward of GHMC involved a heated argument with police when the latter tried to stop an ongoing tussle between Majid’s group and others over ownership of a property (land) in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Google search with relevant keywords yielded us multiple news articles (here, here & here) which reported the same incident. However, none of these articles have reported that Majid’s group tried to build a Mosque by encroaching on a Hindu temple.
In fact, these articles have categorically stated that this is a civil dispute between two parties over the claim of a property. Further, the articles reported that a case has been filed against Majid Hussain under section 353 of IPC for allegedly obstructing police personnel from discharging their duties. A second case was also filed for threatening and trespassing into his property, based on the complaint of the other person (Nikhil Reddy) with whom Majid Hussain was involved in an argument.
Even the local news reports about the incident reported it as a tussle between two factions over the ownership of a property, and there is no mention of Majid’s group trying to build a Mosque or about the encroachment of Hindu temple, in these reports.
When Factly reached out to Banjara Hills SHO seeking clarification about the incident, he categorically stated that the matter in which Majid Hussain was involved is a civil dispute about ownership of a property. Further, he ruled out the allegations about Majid’s group trying to build a Mosque by encroaching on a Hindu temple. Also, the SHO reiterated that a case has been booked against Majid Hussain for obstructing government officials in discharging their duties. All these establish the fact that the issue of Majid Hussain’s heated arguments with the police does not involve the construction of a Mosque or the encroachment of a Temple.
To sum it up, the video of a GHMC Corporator’s heated argument with police is being shared with a communal narrative.
