A video showing a crowd cutting and pulling down metal barricades along a water body is being shared with the claim that it was recorded in Karnataka.
Posts claim that the Karnataka government had stopped Ganesh murti immersion at a particular water body and that devotees broke through the barricades to continue the immersion.
The claim has been shared widely on social media in the context of Ganesh Visarjan.
Fact Check: The claim is false
The viral video is not from Karnataka.
The footage shows an incident at Upper Tank Bund in Hyderabad, where members of the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi (BGUS) protested against restrictions on Ganesh murti immersion and removed iron barricades installed along the Hussain Sagar stretch.
Tension prevailed on Tank Bund on Monday, September 21, after members of the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi removed iron barricades installed along the railing to prevent devotees from immersing Ganesh idols. pic.twitter.com/SeZcMZ4cNC
— The Siasat Daily (@TheSiasatDaily) September 21, 2026
A comparison of the viral footage with videos published by local news outlets shows the same people, location and sequence of events.
In one video, a person wearing a yellow shirt can be seen near the barricade. Another person wearing a black checked shirt also appears in both the viral footage and videos of the Hyderabad incident.
What happened in Hyderabad?
Reports published on September 21 said BGUS members protested against restrictions on murti immersion at Tank Bund in Hyderabad.
Authorities had installed iron barricades along the Upper Tank Bund area to prevent devotees from immersing murtis from that stretch.
During the protest, members of the organisation allegedly used tools to remove the barricades. Police and security personnel were present at the spot and intervened.
Several protesters were reportedly detained.
Why were restrictions imposed?
The restrictions on immersion at Hussain Sagar are linked to directions issued by the Telangana High Court concerning the immersion of Ganesh murtis made from Plaster of Paris and other materials that can contribute to pollution.
Authorities restricted immersion along the main Tank Bund stretch and made alternative arrangements on the Necklace Road side of Hussain Sagar.
The restrictions were aimed at limiting pollution in the lake.
How was the video misrepresented?
The original incident took place in Hyderabad, but the video was later circulated with a false Karnataka context.
The footage itself does show protesters removing barricades during a dispute over Ganesh murti immersion restrictions. However, there is no evidence in the video that the incident took place in Karnataka.
The location, people and visuals match reports of the September 21 protest at Hyderabad’s Tank Bund.
Verdict
False. The viral video does not show devotees vandalising barricades in Karnataka. It shows a September 2026 protest at Hyderabad’s Upper Tank Bund, where members of BGUS removed barricades installed amid restrictions on Ganesh murti immersion.
