Video of mob beating man in Andhra Pradesh shared with false communal spin

What is the claim? 

A video from the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh showing a man chanting 'Jai Shree Ram' (hail Lord Ram) as he is attacked by a crowd went viral on social media. The crowd in the video can be heard repeatedly asking the man questions as he continues to raise the slogan. 

The video was shared on Instagram with the caption, "A Muslim man was atta-cked and forced to chant Jai Shree Ram by a Hindutva mob in Andhra Pradesh’s Bheemavaram. #India (sic)." The video garnered 15,757 likes at the time of publishing. Archived versions of similar claims can be viewed here, here, and here. The claim also went viral with a communal narrative on X (formerly Twitter).

Screenshot of the viral videos on Instagram and Facebook. (Source: Instagram/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, we found that the man in the video is a Hindu, not Muslim. The First Information Report (FIR) registered in the Bhimavaram 2 Police station mentioned his name as Polumati Dileep, belonging to a Scheduled Caste. 

What we found 

We found the same video uploaded by English news channel NDTV on November 1, 2024. The report mentioned that the incident happened in Bhimavaram, a city located in the West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. It added that a man was beaten up by the locals on suspicion of temple desecration. 

We also found an X post by the West Godavari Police (archived here) that a case was registered in the Bhimavaram 2 Town Police station. We accessed the FIR (archived here), which named the man beaten up in the viral video as 35-year-old Polumati Dileep, belonging to the Mala Scheduled Caste (SC). The FIR stated that on October 31, Dileep came near the Ramalayam temple and hurled abuses at people. The FIR named the temple priest as the complainant. 

Logically Facts spoke to the priest, who didn't wish to be named. He explained that Dileep, who is not Muslim, had been collecting waste paper and bottles near the temple. On October 31, after being assaulted by unknown individuals, Dileep left an "abusive note" to the temple's God. His behavior was seen as suspicious, and when questioned, he responded "arrogantly." The locals then attacked him, and the incident was captured on video. The priest added that Dileep confessed to authoring the note. He also confirmed that Dileep did not enter the temple. He added that Dileep’s brothers said he had a mental health condition and was later admitted to a mental health facility.

We then contacted Sub-Inspector (SI) Israel of Bhimavaram 2 town, who dismissed the claim that Dileep is Muslim. He said, "He is a Hindu and is a native of Ravulapalem. He was in Bhimavaram picking up (waste) paper and begging on the streets. After enquiring about his religion, we got to know that he is a Hindu."

SI Israel stated that a case was booked against Dileep initially. The SI said upon the doctor's check-up and reports, Dileep was admitted to a mental health facility in Vishakapatnam on the magistrate’s orders.

The verdict 

Clearly, the man in the viral video has been identified as Polumati Dileep, who belongs to a Schedule Caste and is not a Muslim. 

(With inputs from Vanit Ganesh)