Fact Check: “KTR Go Back” slogans at BRS Dharna in Mahabubabad? No, video is doctored

Hyderabad: The political climate in Telangana is heating up, with allegations of atrocities against tribal farmers in Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's constituency sparking widespread debate. In response, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) organized a Maha Dharna on Monday in Manukota, Mahabubabad district, against the Congress government.

Amid this, a video showing a crowd shouting “KTR Go Back” during the rally has gone viral. The video depicts BRS working president KT Rama Rao addressing the crowd while the slogans can be heard in the background.

An X user has shared the video with the caption, “Protest against former minister KTR at BRS party dharna in Mahabubabad. ‘Go back KTR’ slogans heard…The ex-minister is shocked at this.” (Translated from Telugu) (Archive)

Similar claims can be seen here and here.

We also found another YouTube video that shows the same viral clip. This video includes a picture of people holding a flexi with “Go back Go back” (translated from Telugu) written on it.

Fact Check

NewsMeter has found the claim to be false. The video in question is doctored.

In the viral video, the T News logo can be seen in the top right corner. Following this lead, we conducted keyword searches and found the extended version of the video on the verified YouTube channel of T News Telugu, uploaded on November 25.

A YouTube Live video was uploaded by the channel with the title “KTR Live: BRS Leaders Participants in Maha Dharna Against Congress Govt at Mahabubabad | T News”. The viral clip begins at the 1:55:11 timestamp in the video.

In the original video, KTR is interrupted by the crowd chanting “CM.” However, in the now viral clip, the slogans of “KTR go back” can be heard, confirming that the video was edited.

The video has been edited, with the slogans “KTR go back” replacing the crowd's original chants of “CM.”

Audio in the Viral Video Traced to a Different Incident

Using the keyword “KTR go back,” we found a video uploaded to the verified YouTube channel of V6 News Telugu titled “KTR Go Back Slogans At Amberpet | Youth Congress Activists Protest | V6 News.” This video, uploaded on February 27, shows Congress workers blocking KTR’s convoy while chanting “KTR go back.”

The audio used in the now-viral video was taken from this clip. The slogans can be heard starting at the 0:25 timestamp in the V6 News video. Additionally, the sound of vehicle horns heard in the viral clip matches those in the original V6 News video.

Opposition to BRS rally reported, but viral video is manipulated

Using a keyword search, we found a video uploaded to the verified YouTube channel of Sakshi TV titled “High Tension In BRS Maha Dharna in Mahabubabad || KTR Go Back flexis torn || @SakshiTV.” The video, uploaded on November 25, mentions that BRS flexis were torn in Manukonda ahead of the Maha Dharna, reflecting opposition to the rally. The image of the torn flexi can be seen below.

According to the Sakshi TV news report and some X posts, we found that there was some opposition to BRS conducting the Maha Dharna in support of Lagacharla tribal people.

However, the viral video has been edited using audio clips from an older video. Hence, NewsMeter concludes that the claim is false.