BOOM

Trending Searches

    SUPPORT
    BOOM

    Trending News

      • Fact Check 
        • Fast Check
        • Politics
        • Business
        • Entertainment
        • Social
        • Sports
        • World
      • Law
      • Explainers
      • News 
        • All News
      • Decode 
        • Impact
        • Scamcheck
        • Life
        • Voices
      • Media Buddhi 
        • Digital Buddhi
        • Senior Citizens
        • Videos
      • Web Stories
      • BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos 
        • Facts Neeti
      • Home-icon
        Home
      • About Us-icon
        About Us
      • Authors-icon
        Authors
      • Team-icon
        Team
      • Careers-icon
        Careers
      • Internship-icon
        Internship
      • Contact Us-icon
        Contact Us
      • Methodology-icon
        Methodology
      • Correction Policy-icon
        Correction Policy
      • Non-Partnership Policy-icon
        Non-Partnership Policy
      • Cookie Policy-icon
        Cookie Policy
      • Grievance Redressal-icon
        Grievance Redressal
      • Republishing Guidelines-icon
        Republishing Guidelines
      • Fact Check-icon
        Fact Check
        Fast Check
        Politics
        Business
        Entertainment
        Social
        Sports
        World
      • Law-icon
        Law
      • Explainers-icon
        Explainers
      • News-icon
        News
        All News
      • Decode-icon
        Decode
        Impact
        Scamcheck
        Life
        Voices
      • Media Buddhi-icon
        Media Buddhi
        Digital Buddhi
        Senior Citizens
        Videos
      • Web Stories-icon
        Web Stories
      • BOOM Research-icon
        BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs-icon
        BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker-icon
        Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos-icon
        Videos
        Facts Neeti
      Trending Tags
      TRENDING
      • #Operation Sindoor
      • #Pahalgam Terror Attack
      • #Narendra Modi
      • #Rahul Gandhi
      • #Waqf Amendment Bill
      • #Arvind Kejriwal
      • #Deepfake
      • #Artificial Intelligence
      • Home
      • Fact Check
      • No Communal Motive Behind Placing...
      Fact Check

      No Communal Motive Behind Placing Flag On Shankaracharya Statue: K'Taka Police

      Speaking to BOOM, NS Shruthi, additional superintendent of police, Chikkamagaluru, denied that those detained were named Rafiq and Sahil.

      By - Swasti Chatterjee |
      Published -  15 Aug 2020 10:12 PM IST
    • Boomlive
      No Communal Motive Behind Placing Flag On Shankaracharya  Statue: KTaka Police

      The incident of a flag placed on a statue of Adi Shankaracharya has been given a false communal spin on social media. Viral tweets claimed two Muslim youths named Rafiq and Sahil were arrested for placing an Islamic flag with many also claiming the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) flag had a role to play in the incident.

      Speaking to BOOM, NS Shruthi, additional superintendent of police, Chikkamagaluru, denied that those detained were named Rafiq and Sahil. She further clarified that the banner found atop the statute of Shree Shankaracharya, is from a mosque located nearby.

      The police said that one of the identified accused is a Milind Manohar, who has since been taken into custody.

      News outlets including Oneindia Kannada, wrongly identified the accused, as Rafiq. Right leaning website OpIndia cited the Oneindia Kannada news report and claimed that two Muslim youths had been arrested following the incident. An excerpt from the report reads, "Meanwhile, the police had reportedly registered a case against in the issue. Two youth Rafiq and Sahil were detained on a complaint lodged by locals. Reportedly, Rafiq is also a town panchayat member."

      Click here to view the archive of the article.

      The same narrative was peddled by Postcard News editor Mahesh Vikram Hegde. Click here for an archive of the tweet. BOOM has earlier fact-checked Hegde for sharing communally driven misinformation. Read here, here and here.

      Why so much hate towards Hindus?

      Rafiq and Sahil draped Islamic flag on Shankaracharya statue in holy city of Shringeri, Karnataka

      But anyone won't be lynched or cities won't be burnt

      BECAUSE we Hindus are Tolerants

      — Mahesh Vikram Hegde (@mvmeet) August 14, 2020

      Sringeri, the temple town of Chikkamagaluru district, is a place of pilgrimage where Adi Shankaracharya is said to have instituted the first mutt along the banks of Tunga river.

      Further, images of the Islamic banner atop the statue of Shree Shankaracharya were doing the rounds with claims that it is an SDPI flag. According to reports SDPI, a political arm of Popular Front of India (PFI), was accused of engineering the riots in Bengaluru earlier this week.

      Read BOOM's ground report on the Bengaluru clashes here.

      Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in their tweets claimed that the 'flag' seen in the photograph belonged to the SDPI party and it was an attempt to 'incite people'. A local MLA from the area also registered case against SDPI at Sringeri Police Station after the incident.

      BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje in a tweet said, "I condemn the incident of planting SDPI flags on Sri Shankaracharya's statue at Sringeri, serious action will be taken against those who are behind this incident."

      Click here for the archive of the tweet.

      Intolerance of SDPI is touching peak!

      Anti social elements are inciting people to propagate their sinister agendas.

      I condemn the incident of planting SDPI flags on Sri Shankaracharya's statue at Sringeri, serious action will be taken against those who are behind this incident! pic.twitter.com/j1S337SR0Z

      — Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) August 13, 2020

      Karnataka Culture and Tourism Minister CT Ravi, also an MLA from Chikkamagaluru, sought a thorough investigation.

      ಶೃಂಗೇರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಶಂಕರಾಚಾರ್ಯರ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಎಸ್ಡಿಪಿಐ ಧ್ವಜ ಹಾರಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಎಂಬ ವಿಷಯ ತಿಳಿದು ಬಂದಿದ್ದು ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳಿಗೆ ತನಿಖೆ ನಡೆಸಿ ತಪ್ಪಿತಸ್ಥರ ಮೇಲೆ ಕ್ರಮ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳುವಂತೆ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಕಾನೂನು ಸುವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ ಕಾಪಾಡಲು ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಸಹಕರಿಸಿ🙏

      — C T Ravi 🇮🇳 ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) August 13, 2020

      Fact-Check

      In a tweet the Chikkamagaluru district police clarified that a Milind Manohar (28) had draped the flag on the statue when he was in an inebriated state.

      The police calling the flag a "banner" said that investigation revealed that it was taken from the Jamiya Mosque by the accused to protect himself from the cold. The mosque had earlier used the flag for the Eid-e-Milad festival. We also reached out to NS Shruthi, additional SP, who stated that no one by the name Rafiq and Sahil were taken into custody after the incident.

      The press statement issued by the Karnataka police reads, reads, "During interrogation, the person admitted that under the influence of alcohol, he had placed a cloth belonging to one God over another God. He also revealed that as it was raining heavily, he took that banner to cover himself. After knowing that the banner relates to a God, he thought of giving it to another God and place the banner over a pavilion on the statue of Shree Shankaracharya.... The person was completely under the influence of alcohol and was not aware of what he had done or the further consequences."

      Sringeri banner cloth case details pic.twitter.com/ijJZ4bP3jg

      — Chikkamagaluru District Police (@Ckm_Dist_Police) August 14, 2020

      Later in a press briefing Hakay Akshay Machindra, SP Chikkamagaluru identified the accused as Milind Manohar. The Chikkamagaluru's district police handle also tweeted the CCTV footage of the accused covering himself with the banner.

      The accused who caught on camera in sringeri banner case. pic.twitter.com/EC3EUbCEYZ

      — Chikkamagaluru District Police (@Ckm_Dist_Police) August 14, 2020

      Additionally BOOM was able to ascertain that the flag photographed in the viral images does not match the SDPI flag. The Print quoted SDPI's Karnataka state president Elyas Muhammed Thumbe that the flag did not resemble their party's flag. "It is not our flag. Go to our website and compare it. All this is being done by the Sangh Parivar to frame us," he said.

      Tags

      SDPIBangalore RiotsSringeriChikkamagaluruShankaracharyaAdee Shankaracharya
      Read Full Article
      Claim :   Rafiq and Sahil involved in putting SDPI flag atop Shree Shankaracharya statue in Sringeri, Karnataka
      Claimed By :  Twitter Users
      Fact Check :  False
      Next Story
      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Please reload after ad blocker is disabled.
      X

      Subscribe to BOOM Newsletters

      👉 No spam, no paywall — but verified insights.

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe for free!

      Stay Ahead of Misinformation!

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe Now🛡️ 100% Privacy Protected | No Spam, Just Facts
      By subscribing, you agree with the Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy connected to the offer

      Thank you for subscribing!

      You’re now part of the BOOM community.

      Or, Subscribe to receive latest news via email
      Subscribed Successfully...
      Copy HTMLHTML is copied!
      There's no data to copy!