FACT CHECK: Christian flags not hoisted during Lord Balaji's procession, viral claims are false
A 15-second clip that shows a chariot decorated with white flags with crosses during a procession is viral on social media.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 29 Nov 2021 9:32 AM IST
HYDERABAD: A 15-second clip that shows a chariot decorated with white flags with crosses during a procession is viral on social media. Users claim that Christian flags were hoisted Lord Balaji's procession in Andhra Pradesh.
Twitter user 'Mission Kaali' shared the video with the text, "Sri Balaji procession in Andhra Pradesh with Christian cross flags. Wah kya secularism hai."
It garnered more than 13,000 views and 860 retweets at the time of writing this article. (Archive)
Below are a few more posts that carry the same claim.
https://www.facebook.com/
FACT CHECK:
The video is not linked to Lord Balaji's procession.
NewsMeter performed a reverse image search and found similar visuals carried in a report by ABN Telugu on November 6, 2021. The video shows a crowd taking part in a procession and carrying a chariot similar to the one in the viral video. The video was published with the caption, "Amaravati Farmers Maha Padayatra @ Prakasam District".
Using this as a hint, NewsMeter searched online for reports on the Amaravati Farmers Maha Padayatra and found a report by Hans India on November 8 that carries a picture of the chariot. Here clearly flags of three colors being hoisted on the chariot - saffron, a green, and a white flag, can be seen. Flags from all major religions in the country were hoisted. The same can also be seen in a report carried by Eenadu.
Amaravati 'Maha padayatra' is a 45-day protest consisting of farmers from 29 villages in Amravati to oppose the shifting of the capital in Andhra Pradesh. The protest began at Tulluri village and was attended by a large number of farmers and villagers who opposed the shifting of the capital. Farmers said they had given up 33,00 acres of their land voluntarily for the construction of the capital city. (Read more on the protest by NewsMeter )
Similar visuals were also carried by other media organizations such as The Hindu, ETV, and Andhra Pradesh confirming that the chariot image was indeed taken during Amaravati 'Maha padayatra'.
Clearly, a Christian flag with a cross was not hoisted on a chariot during Lord Balaji's procession. The video clip is from Amaravati 'Maha padayatra' and carries flags of all major religions in the country.
Thus, the claim is false.
