Video from Telangana shared as 'protest against Andhra Chief Minister Naidu'

What is the claim?

A 19-second video circulating on social media shows a group of people carrying a 'death bed' (bier) and chanting "CM down down" amid drum rolls. The video has been claimed to depict protests against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. 

The accompanying Telugu caption translates to: “Did not expect the cycle to be put to a deathbed this soon... Despite knowing that they would not keep their word on the 'Super Six' promises, Kuppam people made you win. Now, these kinds of 'CM down down' slogans are being raised throughout the state." Archive links to similar posts can be found here and here.

The "Super Six" refers to six election promises made by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Andhra Pradesh, including job creation and free bus travel for women. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key member of the NDA alliance, uses the bicycle as its symbol.

However, the viral video actually originates from Telangana, not Andhra Pradesh. It shows farmers staging a mock funeral procession for Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to protest delayed loan waivers.

Screenshot of the claim circulating on social media (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

What are the facts?

A reverse image search revealed that the video was first shared with claims of being from Telangana.

On August 17, 2024, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the main opposition party in Telangana, posted the same 19-second video (archived here), claiming it showed farmers protesting unmet loan waivers. This video, with slightly better quality, was captioned to indicate that the Telangana Chief Minister’s effigy was paraded on a ‘death bed’ in Talamadugu Mandal Kendra, Adilabad district, Telangana.

Further searches on Google led us to multiple news reports confirming this protest. An August 17 India Today report described how farmers in Talamadugu village conducted a 'mock funeral' for an effigy of Reddy to protest the government’s failure to deliver on crop loan waiver promises. The report included a video resembling the viral clip, including similar protest slogans.

Local media channels, such as T-News, also covered the protest. Additionally, Telangana Today reported that eleven individuals were arrested on August 17 for "insulting" Reddy during the mock funeral.

We were also able to geolocate the viral video's setting using a signboard that reads ‘ZPHS,’ indicating Zilla Parishad High School. The video was filmed on Ambedkar Main Road in Talamadugu, Telangana. The location matches the green board, orange walls, and brown gate seen in the video. The signboard's text reads ‘Telangana Kreeda Pranganamu’ (Telangana Sports Area) in Talamadugu.

The verdict

The viral video originates from Telangana, where farmers held a mock funeral for Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on August 17, to protest against the delay in farm loan waivers. The video has no connection to Andhra Pradesh.