Hindu temple targeted with stone pelting by miscreant children in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh
Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
31 March, 2026
Case Summary
In Buxar village, under the Simbhaoli police station area of Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu temple was targeted and stone-pelted by a few miscreant children. This occurred on 1st March 2026. According to media reports, this occurred at the Hindu temple located on the service road of the new highway, a short distance from the Vaith Mod outpost in Hapur. The accused children began pelting stones at the temple. The stone-throwing incident was captured on a nearby closed-circuit television camera. The video went viral on social media, causing widespread panic. Following this, members of a Hindu organisation arrived at the scene and informed the police. Police immediately arrived, assessed the situation, and began an investigation. Meanwhile, Hindu organisations called this act an act of disturbing the atmosphere and demanded strict action against the perpetrators. In this regard, Superintendent of Police (Circle Officer) Stuti Singh stated that the matter was being investigated. She downplayed the communal nature of the crime by claiming that the incident occurred during a time when young children were playing.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory selected is- Attack on Temples. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which, the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. In this case, a Hindu temple was targeted and stone-pelted by unidentified minor miscreants in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh. This violent act struck at the heart of a revered Hindu institution, captured clearly on CCTV footage that spread rapidly online, igniting widespread fear and outrage among Hindu devotees across the region. Such large-scale stone pelting constitutes direct desecration of sacred premises, inflicting deep wounds on the spiritual sanctuary central to Hindu life while exposing raw, unfiltered hostility towards Hindu worship spaces and the faithful who cherish them. Hindu temples hold profound religious significance as revered institutions where Hindus believe their deities reside and make their eternal abode, serving as vibrant hubs for daily prayers, joyous festivals, weddings, and life-cycle rituals that unite families and communities across generations. These sacred spaces embody divine presence through meticulously consecrated idols, intricate architecture, and pulsating spiritual energy, offering solace during hardship, fostering unwavering devotion, and anchoring the daily spiritual practice of millions who view them as living embodiments of their faith. The act of pelting stones at a Hindu temple on such a large scale amounts to desecration of this sacred abode and a vicious attack on the temple itself, constituting clear hatred towards Hindus, their faith, and their places of worship, marking it as a religiously motivated hate crime. Even though children carried out the attack, this circumstance minimises neither the deep animosity driving the assault nor the profound gravity of specifically targeting a Hindu temple over any other site. Young perpetrators frequently absorb and act upon entrenched prejudices from their family and community surroundings, reflecting broader societal attitudes that normalise and even encourage violence against Hindu sacred sites. The deliberate, selective aggression towards this temple alone reveals calculated religious profiling and communal hostility, not innocent or random mischief. The police downplayed the communal nature of the crime by stating that innocent children playing threw the stones, yet this excuse crumbles under scrutiny. If truly playful, why target exclusively a Hindu temple and spare non-Hindu shrines or secular sites nearby? This precise selection of a Hindu place of worship for large-scale stone pelting showcases blatant religious profiling of Hindus' sacred spaces, confirming an anti-Hindu hate crime rooted in bigotry. The act of downplaying the communal nature of hate crimes targeting Hindus is not an isolated incident. The police, in many such cases, where the motive behind the crime is obvious but not explicitly mentioned, deny that the crime committed was in any way motivated by a religious bias or say that there was ‘no communal angle’ to the crime. Several factors are generally at play here. Many a time, the police downplay incidents of low-level communal crime because it is their jurisdiction that comes under question. The police also often say that there was ‘no communal angle’ to a crime when there was one because they wish to ensure that, owing to the crime already committed, there is no further flare-up in the area. However, only a police statement or a media report, for instance, cannot be enough to determine whether there is a communal angle present in the crime that has been committed. In fact, to determine whether the crime is communal in nature or not, we need to give emphasis to the ground realities. For example, in the case of Rinku Sharma, the Bajrang Dal activist who was mercilessly stabbed in his house in front of his family members in Delhi’s Mangolpuri area in the year 2021, the leftist media and the leftist ecosystem had tried to peddle that there was no communal angle to the crime. Even the police denied that the crime was communal in nature. However, a news outlet named OpIndia spoke to several people who are on the ground with the family of Rinku Sharma, and they were told that the communal tension in the area was palpable. The family of Rinku Sharma had said that the Muslims of the area held a grudge against Rinku ever since he celebrated the Ram Mandir verdict Like the case of Rinku Sharma, those cases where even if the police have denied a communal angle or the leftist media have gone on an overdrive to peddle the ‘no communal angle’ trope, the ground reality, like the victim’s family or relative's testimonies, make it clear that there was an obvious religious bias that led to the crime, will be documented in this tracker. In this case, even though the identities of the perpetrators remain unknown, their act clearly showcases animosity against Hindus and their faith. Therefore, it is recorded in the Hate Crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
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Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
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Perpetrators Range
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Perpetrators Gender
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