Fact Check: RSS attacks Catholic school in Telangana? No, video is from UP
A video has been circulating online, claiming it shows RSS people attacking a Catholic school in Mancherial, Telangana.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows RSS members attacking a Catholic school in Mancherial, Telangana.
Fact:The claim is false. The video shows a ruckus during a government-organised mass wedding in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district.
Hyderabad: A video of people creating a ruckus by throwing cartons and looting some packets has gone viral.
Those sharing the video claim it shows RSS members attacking a Catholic school in Mancherial, Telangana. It is also being claimed that the principal, Fr. Raimon Joseph, was attacked and a tilak was forcibly applied to his forehead.
An X user shared the video with the caption, “After Attacking Muslims, RSS extremists have now turned their violence towards the #Christians, At St. Mother #Teresa Catholic School in Mancherial, #Telangana, they attacked the principal, Fr. Raimon Joseph, forcibly marked his forehead with a tilak. This is not Gandhi’s India. (sic)” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video shows a ruckus during a mass wedding in Uttar Pradesh.
Source of the video
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes revealed the same footage posted by news outlets Jist News and The Logical Indian on November 27 and November 28.
Both media outlets reported that a mass wedding in Hamirpur descended into chaos when attendees rushed toward snack counters following the ceremonies. The crowd pushed and grabbed packets of chips, triggering a stampede-like situation in which several people fell and sustained injuries. Videos of the incident went viral and attracted widespread criticism online.
On November 27, NDTV and India Today also reported that chaos erupted at a mass wedding in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district when guests rushed to collect snacks being distributed at the venue. Several guests sustained injuries during the incident.
The reports noted that the mass wedding ceremony for 383 underprivileged couples was organised under the Chief Minister’s Mass Marriage Scheme at the sports ground of Brahmanand Mahavidyalaya in Rath town.
Finally, we conducted a keyword search regarding the alleged attack on a Catholic school in Telangana, but found no recent reports.
Was there an attack on a missionary school in Telangana?
However, we found an NDTV report from April 2024 stating that a mob vandalised a missionary school in Telangana’s Mancherial district and assaulted the institution’s staff after the principal questioned some students wearing religious attire on campus. The report also mentioned that several men surrounded Principal Joseph, assaulted him, and forcibly applied a tilak on his forehead.
Therefore, we conclude that an old incident is being falsely linked to ruckus during a mass wedding in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district.
