The Muslims wearing footwear are leaving from a lodge, not a ‘Temple’.
A video has been going viral on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter claiming that Kanipakam temple in Andhra Pradesh has been converted into Quarantine center where all are Muslims who are roaming freely with chappal inside the temple.
Claim: People led to believing it as a temple because a figure of Hindu deity can be seen on the entrance structure of the building. It also shows women in burqas and men wearing skull caps exit the center with luggage. The video surfaced with a misleading caption that said
“Kanipakam Ganesh temple, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, is being used as a quarentaine center by the Secular AP of Reverend CM Jagan!! Why not Mosques and Churches are given or taken for the same purpose?! People wearing slippers and walking inside our temple.. Why Hindus need to tolerate this pathetic & biased attitude?!”
The same video is reposted multiple times on Facebook. This post in particular has been shared 358 times.
The post is archived here.
The video was also shared widely on Twitter with misleading and provocative captions.
The following tweet has been retweeted for more than 1200 times
Why Muslims are coming out of Hindu temple rooms ?
Because temple choultry converted to
Carona quarantine centre, Kanipakam Ganesa temple. pic.twitter.com/8BVxYeRrWu— DharmaRakshak (@oldhandhyd) April 5, 2020
Following tweet is by Ritu who has been found tweeting misleading and fake messages earlier.
Christian CM of AP @ysjagan converted Hindu Temple Kanipakam Ganesa Temple into a quarantine centre for x'hadi Jamatis
This is so sickening!
What right a christian has to decide for Hindu temples!
Shame on this evangelical missionary agent who won't touch a Church or mosque! https://t.co/sRZA0dnsDF— Ritu (सत्यसाधक) #EqualRightsForHindus (@RituRathaur) April 6, 2020
The tweet is archived here.
Ritesh Desai asked, why was Temple used as quarantine center and not Mosques or Churches, emphasizing on people wearing slippers in Temple
Kanipakkam temple is been used as a quarentaine center. Why not Mosques and Church's are not given or taken for the same purpose. People wearing slippers and walking inside the temple.😠😠😠 pic.twitter.com/sxZqRVP11L
— Ritesh Desai 🇮🇳 (@riteshadesai) April 6, 2020
TRUTH
It’s a Lodge, not a Temple.
The claim with which the video is being shared is false. The building in the video from where people can be seen leaving is not Kanipakam temple. It is a pilgrim lodge called ‘Sri Ganesh Sadan’ which is being used as a quarantine center by the Andhra Pradesh government.
An Eenadu article can be read here which says that this lodging center will be used as a quarantine center in Kanipakam.
Screenshots from the viral video proves –
Through Google maps, we can see that ‘Sri Ganesh Sadan’ is a pilgrim lodge located in Kattamanchi, Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The same structural entrance can be spotted on the maps as well confirming it to be a lodge. People can be seen wearing footwear inside the building in Google Photos too.
This confirms that Sri Ganesh Sadan is not a temple which was turned into quarantined center for COVID-19 patients.
