Fact Check: TDP supporter tied to pole, thrashed for abusing YSRCP leaders? No, here are the facts
A video showing a young man being tied to a pole and being caned has gone viral on social media, with claims suggesting the victim is a TDP supporter who was assaulted.
By - K Sherly Sharon
Claim:The video shows a TDP supporter tied to a pole and beaten with canes for abusing YSRCP leaders, including women.
Fact:The claim is false. The video actually shows a young man being assaulted while tied to a pole in Gaddipur village, Raebareli district, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly molesting a girl.
Hyderabad: A video showing a man tied to a pole and being beaten is going viral on social media. The footage shows the man pleading as two individuals strike him with canes.
The video is being circulated with claims that it shows a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supporter being punished who regularly abused YSRCP party leaders, including women, through social media posts.
X profile ‘KadiroduOffl’ was tagged in the viral post. The bio of KadiroduOffl states ‘Forever with TDP’. The caption of the viral X post states, “BREAKING NEWS... The villagers tied @KadiroduOffl to an electric pole and beat him up for posting obscene posts about YSRCP party leaders and women. There was also a POCSO case against him in the past. #TDPAbuses.” (Translated from Telugu) (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the viral claim is false, as the video is from Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.
A reverse image search of the video's keyframes led us to the same footage shared by an X handle on October 5. The post stated that villagers tied up and beat Mohammad Sahil for allegedly molesting a schoolgirl in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.
While the viral clip circulating on social media does not contain audio, this earlier version includes audio in which the young man can be heard pleading, while his assailants are heard saying in Hindi, "You should have thought of this before."
We also found the video posted by another X handle on October 3. The post also stated that the video is from Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.
Using this lead, we conducted keyword searches and found a report published by ABP News on October 3 that featured a screenshot from the viral video. According to the report, a young man named Mohammad Sahil was beaten by villagers for allegedly molesting a girl. The incident occurred in Gaddipur village, Raebareli district, Uttar Pradesh.
Dainik Bhaskar also published a report on October 3 featuring the video. The media outlet reported that Mohammad Sahil, son of Mohammad Aftab and a resident of Nayaganj town near the village, grabbed the hand of a girl returning from school and molested her. Villagers who witnessed the incident apprehended him, tied him to a pole, and beat him with canes. The Salon police were subsequently informed and took Mohammad Sahil into custody.
While ABP News reported that the incident occurred on October 2, Amar Ujala published a report on October 1 featuring an image of the accused. A comparison between this image and a screenshot from the viral video is shown below.
According to the report, Police Inspector Raghavan Kumar Singh confirmed that a molestation case was registered following a complaint filed by the student's father.
NewsMeter could not independently verify the exact date of the incident. However, we can confirm that the viral video shows an incident from Gaddipur village in Raebareli district, Uttar Pradesh, where a young man was beaten for allegedly molesting a girl. It does not show a TDP activist being assaulted for abusing YSRCP leaders or women.
Therefore, we conclude that the viral claim is false.
