Fact Check: Deputy registrar in Andhra Pradesh cleans table with national flag? No, video is from Odisha
A deputy registrar in Anantapur, AP, was allegedly caught on camera cleaning a table with the national flag.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 5 Jan 2025 10:55 AM IST
Claim: The video shows a deputy registrar in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, using the national flag to clean a table.
Fact: The claim is false. The incident occurred in Puri, Odisha, in January 2023. The person in the video was a panchayat officer.
Hyderabad: A 25-second video has gone viral with the claim that a deputy registrar of Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh was found using the national flag to clean a table.
An X user posted the video with the caption, āThis is Anantapur deputy registrar. Share this video till his arrogance subsides. See how he is insulting the national flag. The video is from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. Such an insult to the national flag by an officer is worrying.ā (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)
The claim quickly gained traction, with similar posts shared across multiple accounts, seen here and here. (Archive 1, Archive 2)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is from Odisha in January 2023.
A reverse image search led us to an X post from January 21, 2023, where the same video was shared with the caption, āShare the video till such idiots who lack the basic common sense to value the national flag are dismissed.ā (Translated from Telugu)
This hinted that the video is old.
With a keyword search, we found a report on the incident by OdishaBytes. The report titled āViral Video: Panchayat EO Uses Tricolour To Clean Office In Odishaās Puri!ā was published on January 12, 2023.
The report identified the individual in the video as Prashant Kumar Swain, an executive officer (EO) of the Simili Panchayat in Puri, Odisha. Swain was seen using a Tricolour as a cloth to clean furniture in an office room.
Additionally, we found a Times of India article from January 13, 2023, which confirmed that the incident took place in Odisha.
According to the report, after the video of the officer went viral, the police registered a case against Swain under the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, 1971, following a complaint by Minati Sahu, a Panchayat Samiti member. Swain was identified as a PEO (panchayat extension officer) in the report.
Similarly, Odisha TV on January 12, 2023, reported that Swain apologised for his actions: āIt was a mistake, however unintentional. I was preoccupied with many things at the office. It is condemnable, and I am extremely sorry. It was my first mistake, and I will ensure it is not repeated in the future.ā
Therefore, the claim that a deputy registrar in Anantapur insulted the national flag by using it to clean a table is false. The incident occurred in Puri, Odisha, in January 2023, involving a panchayat officer, Prashant Kumar Swain. The video has been falsely attributed to Andhra Pradesh.
