Video showing a mob vandalizing the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Ujjain is being shared with a false communal narrative attributing it to Karnataka - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 27, 2024
Several posts (here, here, here, & here) accompanied by a video showing a mob vandalizing a statue with a tractor are being widely shared across social media platforms. The claim accompanying the video suggests that Muslims are vandalizing statues belonging to the Hindu community recently in Karnataka. In this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in these posts.
Claim: Video depicting Muslims vandalizing statues belonging to the Hindu community recently in Karnataka.
Fact: There is no communal angle involved in this incident. The viral video depicts a mob vandalizing the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. According to reports, the conflict arose between the Malviya’s, who belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC), and the Patidars, who belong to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), when two groups demanded to install statues of two different prominent figures, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, in a vacant space near Krishi Upaj Mandi. However, on the night of 24 January 2024, someone installed the statue of Sardar Patel there. The following morning, on 25 January 2024, members of the other community gathered and demolished the statue using a tractor.  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify the authenticity of the viral claim and to gather more information about the viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using the keyframes from the video. This search led us to a news report featuring the same visuals as the viral video which was published by “Dainik Bhaskar” on 25 January 2024. According to this news report, there was a dispute between two groups in Makdon tehsil of Ujjain regarding the statues of notable figures. On the morning of 25 January 2024, one party pulled down the statue of Sardar Patel using a tractor. Subsequently, the opposing side arrived at the scene and protested. This led to a conflict between the two groups, which escalated into violence. The dispute intensified, resulting in stone pelting and arson as the crowd grew increasingly agitated.
Taking a clue from this, and seeking further information about the incident, we conducted a relevant keyword search and found a news report by the ‘Indian Express’. According to this report, clashes broke out between the dominant Malviyas, who belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC), and the Patidars, who belong to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), on the morning of 25 January 2024. The clashes occurred when members of the Patidar community installed a statue of Patel in Makdone tehsil in Ujjain district.
Several other news reports regarding this incident can be found here, here, here, and here. According to these reports, the issue arose when a vacant space near Krishi Upaj Mandi was identified, and individuals from both groups demanded the installation of statues of two different prominent figures there: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. However, someone installed the statue of Sardar Patel there on the night of 24 January 2024. Upon learning about this, members of the other community gathered at the spot on the morning of 25 January 2024, and demolished the idol by hitting it with a tractor. Subsequently, the situation escalated, resulting in a clash. Upon receiving this information, the police immediately arrived at the scene. From all this information, it is evident that the video depicts a mob vandalizing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s statue in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, and there is no communal angle involved in this incident.
To sum it up, a video depicting a mob vandalizing the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh is being shared with a false communal narrative, falsely attributing it to Karnataka.