Hindu temple land illegally encroached in connivance with Muslim government official in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh
Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India 
11 June, 2026
Case Summary
In Birkaji village, located in Phulpur, Prayagraj, government land reserved for a Hindu temple was illegally encroached upon and occupied by miscreants. The Muslim accountant, Shafiq Ahmed, helped the accused in securing this illegal encroachment. The case came to light after the villagers appealed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for justice. They stated that the village clerk, along with other influential people, was involved in this illegal occupation. Following the local administration's failure to take action, the villagers approached Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for justice. Udayraj, a resident of Birkaji village, stated that Premchand and Suresh Chandra had forcibly occupied land reserved for the temple. He also stated that this reserved land was being encroached upon with the connivance of local accountant Shafiq Ahmed. Villagers said that the accountant's connivance was being used by the land mafia to violate the law. The villagers filed a written complaint with the Phulpur SDM and the Prayagraj DM. However, even after several days, no action had been taken by the local administration. This inaction by the officials caused dissatisfaction among the villagers.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory selected is- Encroachment or illicit takeover of temple land/land near temple. 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. Not only the Temple but the Temple premises in its entirety are considered sacred by Hindus. In several cases, the premises of the Temple and/or religious centre are illicitly taken over by institutions belonging to other faiths, like the Waqf board or the Church. Other times, the temple property, land or the property of religious centres are illicitly encroached upon by non-Hindu groups. Any illicit takeover or encroachment is a crime an initio; however, when non-Hindu groups illicitly take over or encroach on the sacred land of Hindus, it is an affront to the Hindu community and is therefore classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. This incident qualified as a religiously motivated hate crime because land specifically reserved for a Hindu temple was targeted for illegal occupation, thereby threatening a space intended for Hindu religious worship and community life. In Hindu tradition, a temple is not merely a physical structure but a sacred institution that serves as a focal point of faith, devotion, and collective religious identity. Land set aside for a temple carries religious significance as it is intended to facilitate worship, preserve sacred traditions, and provide a dedicated space for the spiritual needs of the Hindu community. The encroachment upon land earmarked for a Hindu temple directly undermined the ability of Hindus to establish and maintain a place of worship. Such actions extended beyond an ordinary land dispute, as they interfered with the religious rights of a community and obstructed the development of infrastructure meant for the practice and preservation of their faith. The targeting of land reserved for a Hindu temple demonstrated disregard for the religious significance of that site, which is why it has been documented in the database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the crime occurs. In this case, the report states that the temple land had been under illegal encroachment for an extended period, but the exact date the encroachment began is not specified. Henceforth, the date when the report was published is used as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only. The case involved both a Muslim perpetrator and the other two individuals, Premchand and Suresh Chandra, who illegally encroached on the temple land. However, since the principal acts of encroachment originated from the Muslim accused, since he, as a government official himself, was involved in facilitating the illegal encroachment, the case was classified under “Muslim perpetrator”.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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