A video is being widely shared on social media in which a group of boys are seen assaulting a young man.
The video is shared with a caption claiming that it shows a student being harassed in a hostel in Thachepalli Government Junior College. The post tagged Tamil Nadu police, hinting that the incident happened in Tamil Nadu.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “A student is being beaten to death in the name of raging at Thachepalli Government Junior College. This act, done despite knowing that students should not be ragged, is highly condemnable. Please share this video as much as possible until everyone knows.” (Archive)
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The video is from Andhra Pradesh, not Tamil Nadu.
Upon analysing the video, we can hear that the group was talking in Telugu while they were assaulting the student, hinting that the video might be from a Telugu State, such as Andhra Pradesh or Telangana.
TN Fact Check, the fact-checking social media arm of the Tamil Nadu government, debunked the claim on its X account on September 16. It shared the post with the caption that reads, “Ragging: Video of school student being attacked is not Tamil Nadu but Andhra!”
On searching with relevant keywords, we also found that the incident was shared by many news outlets.
The video was shared by News9 Live on August 10. At around 11 seconds, we can see the video in which three boys are seen harassing a younger boy.
The video is shared with a caption that reads, “A horrifying ragging case has surfaced at Government Junior College, Dachepalli, Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh. Five second-year students allegedly assaulted a first-year minor student with physical thrashing, electric shocks and death threats. A video circulating on social media shows the brutal attack, while the victim’s parents accuse authorities of inaction despite filing a police complaint.”
The incident was also reported by News 18 on August 10.
According to the report, a first-year student at Dachepalli Government Junior College in Palnadu, Andhra Pradesh, was allegedly ragged by second-year students—beaten, kicked and given electric shocks in a hostel. The assault was filmed. Three minors have been arrested; police have launched an inquiry.
The incident was also reported by India Today on August 13.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.