Fact-Check: Clipped Video From Telangana Shared With a False Communal Spin

We found out that apart from Islamic rituals, even Hindu and Christian rituals were conducted at the ceremony.

A video of the inauguration of the collector's office in Telangana's Nirmal district, with the Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) party supremo K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) and district collector Varun Reddy, has gone viral. In the video, the two can be seen offering prayers as per the Islamic traditions.

What is the claim?: Those sharing the video have claimed that it shows the 'Islamization of India' as Islamic rituals were followed during the inauguration ceremony of the collector's office.

(Archives of similar claims can be found here, here and here.)

What is the truth?: We found that the claim was misleading. The viral video is clipped from a longer version of the inauguration ceremony where rituals from other religions were also followed.

How did we find out?: We ran a Google reverse image search to find the source of the video and found the video posted on YouTube.

• We came across the video on the YouTube channel of T News Telugu, which showed a live stream of the inauguration ceremony of collector Varun Reddy's office. KCR was invited to the inauguration ceremony.

• The live stream contained the same visuals as the viral video.

• Apart from the Islamic rituals, Hindu and Christian religious practices were conducted.

• One can see the duo observing different rituals in the video. The pair observed Hindu rituals at 1:23:27, Islamic practices at 1:28:17, and Christian rituals at 1:29:31.

Other Sources: We also came across a news report published by The Hindustan Times that had a picture from the inauguration ceremony.

• The report was published on 4 June.

• It notes KCR's address to the officials at the ceremony.

More photographs on Telangana government website: We also found images uploaded on the Telangana government's website that showed Hindu saints at the event.

Conclusion: It's clear that the claim shared with the video was misleading. While the Islamic rituals were observed at the ceremony, the event also witnessed rituals of Hinduism and Christianity faith.

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