Hindu deity's idol beheaded by miscreants ahead of Ram Navami festival in West Bengal's East Medinipur
Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India 
20 March, 2026
Case Summary
In East Medinipur district of West Bengal, an idol of Lord Ram being sculpted for the upcoming Ram Navami celebrations was beheaded by unknown miscreants on 21 March 2026. The incident occurred at the Veturia bus stand in Nandigram’s Block 2, where the head of the nearly completed idol of Lord Ram was cut off and stolen overnight, triggering religious tensions in this area. As per media reports, the local Hindu residents stated that the idol was left at the stand after work stopped for the day. When workers returned the following morning, 22 March 2026, they found the head missing. Many described the act as an attack on Hindu religious beliefs. Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Nandigram Member of the Legislative Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, condemned the vandalism in a post on X. He wrote that attacks on Hindu idols and temples “have become routine” in the state because of the Mamata Banerjee government’s “appeasement politics” and the administration’s “shameless inaction”. Adhikari called the perpetrators “jihadis” (Muslims) and urged all Hindus to unite immediately and “bid farewell” to the government, warning that failure to do so would lead to even worse conditions for Hindus in West Bengal. At the time of writing this report, the police had registered a case and begun an investigation, but no arrests had been made so far. Hindu residents complained that the authorities did not treat the matter seriously. Notably, West Bengal has witnessed repeated attacks on Hindu temples and religious symbols ahead of festivals, making this far from an isolated incident. The Hinduphobia Tracker documented several such incidents. For example, in January 2026, in East Medinipur district, idols of Goddess Saraswati and Basanti were vandalised by miscreants. This occurred at Kanthal Poti, under the Garkamalpur Panchayat in the Mahishadal area, where the miscreants desecrated several under-construction murtis of Maa Basanti and Devi Saraswati. Multiple idols were found partially or completely broken on the morning of 5 January 2026. In a similar instance, an incident of idol vandalism occurred in Shantipur in Nadia district, West Bengal, where a large number of Hindu idols were found damaged on 7 January 2026. Around 70 to 80 idols of Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Kali, prepared by local sculptor Jayanta Das, were discovered broken outside his workshop located near the Loknath Temple. This also occurred just ahead of Saraswati Puja celebrations. Similarly, in 2024, ahead of Durga Puja, idols of Hindu deities were found vandalised in Jharia village, Hooghly district, West Bengal. The desecration of idols of Maa Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati was confirmed by Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Amit Malviya on social media. In a post on 14 September 2024, he condemned the incident, accusing the Goghat police of failing to take action. He stated the idols had been "raped and defiled" and criticised the police for their inaction. Similarly, in February 2024, in Murshidabad's Baharampur town, West Bengal, over 30 under-construction murtis of Goddess Saraswati, prepared ahead of Saraswati Puja, were vandalised by unidentified miscreants. Local potters, who left the nearly finished idols beside Netaji Road overnight, discovered the destruction in the morning, with many idols broken and scattered on the road. This unprecedented attack left the potters and locals shocked. Police from Baharampur Station assured an investigation to identify and arrest the culprits, but no arrests had been made.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory selected is- Desecration of Hindu religious symbols. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This incident qualifies as a hate crime because the perpetrators deliberately desecrated a sacred idol of Lord Ram, a revered Hindu deity. In Hindu tradition, idols (murtis) serve as physical embodiments of the divine, consecrated through elaborate rituals like prana pratishtha to house the deity's presence. Hindus hold these murtis in utmost reverence, viewing them as living extensions of gods and goddesses central to worship, festivals, and daily devotion. Any act of desecration, such as beheading or vandalising them, strikes at the core of the Hindu faith, symbolising profound disrespect and hostility. This transforms the vandalism into a religiously motivated hate crime, fuelled by animosity against Hindus, as it targets their most sacred symbols rather than mere property. The fact that this desecration occurred just days before the Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal underscores that it was no random act of vandalism. Instead, it directly aimed to desecrate the idol and create hurdles in the festival's preparations, disrupting religious worship and instilling fear. Such precise timing showcases deep animosity towards the Hindu community and their faith, elevating this to a clear case of religiously motivated hate crime designed to intimidate the Hindu community and disrespect their beliefs. This incident forms part of a targeted pattern of violence and desecration against Hindu religious symbols and temples in West Bengal, repeatedly occurring ahead of major Hindu festivals to inflict maximum emotional harm on the Hindu community. Far from an isolated event, such attacks have systematically preceded celebrations like Saraswati Puja, Durga Puja, and now Ram Navami, with miscreants vandalising under-construction idols of deities including Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Kali, Maa Durga, Lakshmi, Basanti, and Lord Ram in several districts of West Bengal across 2024, 2025, and 2026. These premeditated acts, timed to disrupt festival preparations and worship, deliberately strike at the heart of Hindu devotion by desecrating murtis that embody divine presence through rituals like prana pratishtha, thereby wounding religious sentiments, instilling widespread fear, and intimidating Hindus about openly practising their faith and safeguarding their sacred identity in the state. In this current case, even though the perpetrators' identities remain unknown, the act is clearly motivated by deep-seated religious animosity towards the Hindu community and their faith. Therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: Although Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition, stated that "jihadis" (Muslims) carried out the attack, neither local Hindus nor any evidence has confirmed this. We do not take such claims at face value and identify the perpetrators as "unknown." If further police investigations, local statements, or evidence later substantiate that Muslims were responsible, we will update the perpetrator identity accordingly.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
