Video of statue vandalism in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain shared with communal spin

What's the claim?

A 58-second video depicting a tractor repeatedly ramming and demolishing a statue has circulated online with claims that it is from Karnataka. In the footage, a cut-out of the Hindu god Lord Ram is visible behind the statue. A man later climbs onto the statue and strikes it with a stick. Towards the end, a speaker in Hindi questions the value of being in the majority (80 percent) when a minority (20 percent) is allegedly causing violence. He underscores the importance of unity and encourages viewers to share the message. The reference to 80 percent and 20 percent is interpreted as a commentary on Hindu and Muslim populations, respectively, suggesting that the majority should unite against actions by the minority.

The video is accompanied by a caption in Hindi, criticizing the Congress government in Karnataka. It suggests that Hindus regret replacing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government with Congress due to policies perceived as Muslim appeasement. The post insinuates that the incident occurred in Karnataka and was carried out by Muslims. Archived versions of the posts can be found here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of the viral post. (Source: X/Instagram/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the viral video actually shows a mob vandalizing a statue of former Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, during a January 2024 clash between two groups over the statue's installation.

What did we find?

Our search for recent news reports about statue vandalism in Karnataka yielded no relevant results.

A reverse image search of keyframes from the video revealed a screenshot from a January 26, 2024, report by The Indian Express. The headline read, "Sardar Patel statue vandalized in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain; two groups pelt stones at each other." The article detailed a clash between two groups after a statue of Patel was pulled down in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. The conflict arose over the installation of statues of Patel and Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

According to the report, one group installed a Patel statue in a location where another group had planned to place an Ambedkar statue. Tensions escalated, resulting in stone-pelting and police intervention. The report included a video of the incident.

Screenshot of The Indian Express report with a screenshot of the viral video. (Source: The Indian Express)

Hindustan Times reported that the Patel statue was installed on January 24 by members of the Patidar community in Makdon village. On the morning of January 25, a group allegedly linked to the Bhim Army, representing the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, vandalized the statue. The Bhim Army had been advocating for a statue of Ambedkar to be placed in a public square. The report included images of people throwing stones at the Patel statue, as seen in the viral video.

Hindustan Times further reported that following the vandalism, clashes erupted between the two groups, resulting in stone-pelting, cane attacks, vandalized shops, and burning vehicles. Both a sub-inspector and some locals were injured.

Times Now Navbharat (archived here) covered the incident, sharing similar visuals of the statue's demolition on YouTube and discussing the tensions surrounding the statue installations in Ujjain.

Comparison of a screenshot from the viral video with a video uploaded by Times Now Nava Bharat. (Source: X/YouTube)

A statement by ASP Guru Prasad Parashar, posted on January 25, 2024, on ANI's X handle (archived here), described the incident. Parashar stated, "A statue of an eminent leader installed at the Krishi Upaj Mandi intersection was vandalized by persons of a particular community today. This led to clashes between two groups. The situation is normal. A sub-inspector was injured in the incident. The Makdon PS in-charge was suspended for negligence."

Screenshot of ANI's X post. (Source: X)

A subsequent report by NDTV Madhya Pradesh noted that a meeting between Collector Neeraj Kumar Singh and Superintendent of Police (SP) Sachin Sharma led to an agreement: the Ambedkar statue would be installed at Ambedkar Bus Stand and the Patel statue at Mandi Chowk.

Local reporter Vijay Yadav confirmed to Logically Facts that the viral video depicts an old incident from January 2024 in Ujjain. The clash involved two communities disputing the installation of Patel and Ambedkar statues, with the Patel statue being demolished by a group supporting Ambedkar’s statue. Yadav emphasized that there was no communal angle involved in the incident.

The verdict

This video is from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, not Karnataka. In January 2024, two groups clashed over installing statues of Patel and Dr. Ambedkar, leading to the toppling of Patel's statue. The incident was not communal but a rivalry over the installation of statues of different political figures.