Video of Hindu priest being heckled is not from a YSRCP leader’s son's wedding

By: Rohith Gutta
April 22 2024

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Screenshot of a social media post claiming that the video shows a priest being attacked at the wedding of the son of a YSRCP leader. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

What is the claim?

A 34-second clip, with a Telugu song playing in the background, is being shared on social media platforms, with the claim that it shows kin of a YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) party leader heckling a priest during a Hindu wedding ceremony. The YSRCP is the ruling party in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. 

In the video, we can see a carry bag being put over the priest’s head while he is sitting with the bride and groom and performing a wedding ritual. People can also be seen throwing turmeric powder and kumkum (vermilion) one after the other, among other things, at him.

A user shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter) with a Telugu caption that claimed that the clip was captured during an event that took place in Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district during the wedding of the son of a YSRCP leader named Krishna Reddy. Archived versions of the post and similar others can be viewed here and here.

Screenshot of a viral social media post. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, Logically Facts has found the incident in question did occur at a YSRCP leader’s son’s wedding. 

What did we find?

A reverse image search and a relevant keyword search led us to a report published by the Telugu news outlet Eenadu on April 22, with a screenshot from the video. The report identified the priest as A Suryanarayana Murthy. According to the daily, the incident occurred in Mulapeta village in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada district. The report noted that a few youngsters at the wedding heckled the priest by throwing turmeric powder and water packets at him.

An April 21 report published by the Deccan Chronicle, which also included a screenshot from the viral video, corroborates these details. The report stated that the incident occurred some 10 ten days ago and came to light recently after someone from the groom’s side posted it on social media. We also contacted V Srinivas, the author of this article, who informed us that the incident took place during the wedding ceremony of a couple from the Vada Balija community. The wedding took place a few days ago in Mulapeta village.

Logically Facts also contacted the U Kothapalli police station, under whose jurisdiction the village falls, for more details about the incident in question. Sub-inspector Swamy Naidu told us that the incident occurred in Mulapeta village a few days ago and has nothing to do with YSRCP leaders. While the Deccan Chronicle reports that a case was registered, the police official informed us that no formal case was filed.

Logically Facts also contacted the priest seen in the video, who also rubbished the viral claim that the incident took place at the wedding of a YSRCP leader’s son.

We also looked for news reports to see whether the son of a YSRCP leader named Krishna Reddy was recently married in Kadapa. However, we came across no such reports or even social media posts. 

The verdict

A video of a Hindu priest being heckled is shared with the claim that it happened at the wedding of a YSRCP leader’s son in Kadapa. However, the ceremony was held in the Kakinada district, and the groom was not a YSRCP leader’s son. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.