Hindu sentiments outraged as sacred Lord Jagannath Rath desecrated by Muslim man in Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal
Bardhaman, West Bengal, India 
25 July, 2026
Case Summary
In Kalna, Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal, the sanctity of a Rath associated with Lord Jagannath was violated two days after the Ulto Rath Yatra by a Muslim man. According to reports, the Muslim accused, Babulal Sheikh, a resident of Siddhepada in Samudragarh, climbed onto the sacred rath while wearing shoes. He then danced on the steps of the Rath, recorded a video reel, and uploaded it to Facebook. The video subsequently circulated widely on social media, drawing objections from Hindu devotees and residents, hurting their religious sentiments. Following the circulation of the video, members of the Paschim Nasaratpur Harekrishna Namhatta Sangha, led by secretary Jiten Mondal, lodged a complaint with the Nadanghat Police Station, stating that the act had hurt Hindu religious sentiments. Acting on the complaint, Nadanghat Police arrested Babulal Sheikh on 26 July 2026, and registered a case against him under Section 196(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (promoting enmity between different groups) and Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting religion or religious beliefs). Babulal Sheikh was produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court in Kalna. During the proceedings, his counsel, Bikash Roy, argued that the investigating officer had not served the mandatory pre-arrest notice required for offences carrying punishment below the prescribed threshold. The defence also submitted that no communal disturbance had occurred following the incident and that there was no deliberate intention to insult any religion. While being taken to court, Babulal Sheikh publicly apologised, stating that he was unaware that climbing the Rath while wearing shoes was considered disrespectful. He folded his hands, held his ears as a gesture of repentance, and apologised for his actions, assuring that he would not repeat such conduct in the future. The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court granted him conditional bail. The court directed him to clean the temple premises and the adjoining road every day until the police investigation is completed, report to the investigating officer once every week, and fully cooperate with the investigation. Earlier local reports also noted a direction requiring him to wash the steps of the Rath every day for one week under the supervision of police personnel. Following the court's order, discussions arose locally regarding the bail conditions, with concerns being expressed by some over the direction requiring a Muslim man to clean the premises of a Hindu temple. East Burdwan Police stated that they would implement the court's directions while taking appropriate measures to maintain law and order and prevent any communal tension during the execution of the order.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category for this case is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The first subcategory for this case is: Desecration of Hindu religious symbol. 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 a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The other subcategory for this case is: Defiling religious customs. Sanatan Dharma is not a religion of one book, which is to say that while it has religious scriptures that form the central tenets of the faith, there are several traditions followed through thousands of years, mostly passed from generation to generation orally. There are several such customs and traditions that are followed by various Hindus and Hindu sects. Defiling of these traditions and customs is a breach of an individual or group’s religious practices. Such practices can range from dietary restrictions like not eating non-vegetarian food for a certain period of the year, not eating non-vegetarian food at all, not eating beef since the cow is considered holy in Hinduism, the sanctity of religious customs followed in the house (like many ISCKON devotees), etc. Any malicious action leading to the breach of such traditions or defilement of these traditions owing to animosity towards the faith or for the sake of activism stems not only from the lack of faith in the religion itself but also from disregard for the faith of the devotees who follow the customs/traditions and implicit bias against the faith and the tradition itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific sect of Hindus, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The case was included in the Hinduphobia Tracker because a sacred Hindu religious representation was subjected to conduct that contravened established norms of reverence observed by Hindu devotees. The act was not limited to climbing onto the Rath; it involved doing so while wearing shoes and dancing on it for the purpose of recording and publishing a social media video. The circulation of the video further amplified the desecration by publicly displaying conduct that many Hindus regarded as disrespectful towards a sacred object associated with Lord Jagannath and the Rath Yatra tradition. In Hinduism, the Rath used during the Rath Yatra is not merely a ceremonial chariot but a sacred religious representation associated with Lord Jagannath. It occupies a central place in one of the most important Hindu religious festivals and is treated with reverence by devotees. Hindu customs require that the Rath be approached with respect, including the removal of footwear before coming into contact with it. Climbing onto the Rath while wearing shoes, dancing on it, and using it as a prop for a social media reel violated the sanctity attached to this sacred religious representation. Such conduct constitutes the desecration of a Hindu religious symbol and an attack on a religious representation that holds deep spiritual significance for Hindus. The incident also amounted to the defilement of Hindu religious customs. Within the Hindu faith, sacred objects, temple spaces, and religious representations are approached only after observing standards of ritual respect, including the removal of footwear. These practices are not mere social conventions but long-standing religious customs that form an integral part of Hindu worship. By climbing onto the Rath while wearing shoes and treating it as an object for entertainment, the sanctity traditionally associated with the Rath was disregarded. Such conduct directly violated the religious customs that govern the treatment of sacred Hindu religious representations. Taken together, the surrounding circumstances demonstrate conduct directed against a sacred Hindu religious representation and the customs governing its treatment. The incident affected a symbol that occupies an important place in Hindu religious life and undermined the standards of reverence observed by devotees during the Rath Yatra tradition. Consequently, the incident is documented in the Hinduphobia Tracker under the category Attack on Hindu religious representations, with the subcategories Desecration of Hindu religious symbol and Defiling religious customs, as it involved the desecration of a sacred Hindu religious representation and the violation of established Hindu religious customs.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
