A set of four unrelated photos of Hindu idols and objects is being shared on social media falsely claiming that they were discovered during the recent survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.
Four people were killed as violence broke out on November 24, 2024, during the court ordered survey in Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. On November 19, 2024, a court of civil judge (senior division) of Sambhal had passed an ex-parte order for a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid after taking note of a plea filed by Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain claiming that a temple existed at the site earlier.
Three broken idols of Hindu Goddess Parvati and her sons Ganesha and Kartikeya were claimed to be recovered on December 16, 2024, during the digging of a well on the premises of a temple in Sambhal district reported The Indian Express.
Unrelated photos linked to Sambhal Masjid survey on social media
The set of four photos are being shared with a Telugu caption with reads, "1500-year-old Vishnu idol, Sudarshana Chakra, and Hindu symbols discovered during Sambhal Masjid survey. Every Hindu should share and protect Hinduism."
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FACT-CHECK: Photos of Hindu idols not from Sambhal
BOOM found that the four photos of Hindu idols and objects being shared on social media are not from Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. These photos are being linked to the recent court ordered survey of Shahi Jama Masjid falsely claiming they were recovered there.
We ran a Google reverse image search on the photos and the search results showed news reports which had three photos from the viral post. The reports stated that the idols were recovered from a riverbed in Raichur, Karnataka.
Photos of Hindu idols discovered in Karnataka
A report by India Today dated February 7, 2024 featured the same images as seen in the post; the report states that an ancient Vishnu idol and a shivling were discovered from the Krishna River during bridge construction work near Devasugur village.
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Photo of Sudarshan chakra traced to Telangana seller on an online shopping website
The fourth photo of a Sudarshan chakra can be traced back to the online shopping website - Indiamart.
The description of the product states that it is a 'Brass Sudarshanachakra kalasham', that is being sold by Kolcharam Arts Creation which is based in Nagole, Telangana.
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