Ancient Hindu temple land encroached, priest threatened and prevented from performing worship in Lalitgarh, Uttar Pradesh

Case ID : 30a9ad5 | Location : Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 31 July, 2026

Case ID : 30a9ad5

Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

31 July, 2026

Ancient Hindu temple land encroached, priest threatened and prevented from performing worship in Lalitgarh, Uttar Pradesh

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Encroachment or illicit takeover of temple land/land near temple

Case Summary

In Lalitgarh, Uttar Pradesh, a Hanuman temple land was encroached by unknown miscreants. Illegal private structures were constructed on the land, and when the temple priest opposed, he was threatened with death and restricted from performing pooja in the temple. The matter came to light after villagers submitted a memorandum to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Ghanshyam Bhartiya, demanding action against the encroachment. According to the complaint, a group of influential individuals from neighbouring Natyana village forcibly occupied around one acre of land adjoining the ancient Hanuman Temple, including the sacred Ram Talaiya, situated on Survey No. 136 in Mauja Thagari. The encroachers had also begun constructing a house on the temple land. In the complaint, the villagers also stated that when the temple priest, Falgun Das, objected to the encroachment, he was threatened with death. He was also prevented from performing worship at the temple. The memorandum, signed by the temple priest and several local villagers, urged the administration to remove the illegal encroachment, protect the temple property, and take strict action against those responsible for threatening the priest and interfering with religious worship.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category selected in this case is "Attack on Hindu religious representations." The selected subcategory is: Encroachment or illicit takeover of temple land/land near the 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 themselves 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 by non-Hindu groups. Any illicit takeover or encroachment is a crime an initio; however, when non-Hindu groups illicitly take over or encroach 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 case was added to the Hinduphobia Tracker because it involved the deliberate encroachment of land belonging to an ancient Hanuman Temple and the obstruction of its priest from performing worship. In Hinduism, a temple is a sacred abode of the deity, while its land forms an inseparable part of the temple ecosystem that supports religious observances and preserves the sanctity of the shrine. Illegally occupying such land and preventing worship directly interfered with the Hindu community's ability to practise and preserve its faith. Furthermore, the act extended beyond an unlawful occupation of property. The encroachment was accompanied by threats against the temple priest and interference with religious rituals, disrupting the daily worship of the deity. Priests are custodians of Hindu temples and play an essential role in maintaining uninterrupted worship. Preventing a priest from carrying out these duties amounted to an attack on the functioning of the temple itself and violated the religious rights of Hindu devotees. The perpetrators' conduct demonstrated a conscious disregard for the sanctity of Hindu places of worship and the sentiments of the Hindu community. By occupying land intrinsically connected to the temple, commencing construction upon it, and intimidating the priest instead of respecting the religious character of the site, they displayed hostility towards the temple's continued religious use. Their actions deprived devotees of the peaceful exercise of their faith and undermined the sacred character of the temple precincts. The sequence of encroaching upon temple land, proceeding with construction, and threatening the priest when objections were raised revealed a deliberate attempt to secure control over a sacred Hindu space despite its religious significance. The conduct reflected an intention to retain the illegal occupation by silencing those responsible for protecting the temple and preventing resistance to the encroachment. Given that the acts targeted a Hindu place of worship, disrupted religious practice, and interfered with the temple's functioning, this case warranted inclusion in the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the crime occurs. In this case, the report does not state the exact date when the temple encroachment began. Hence, the date when the report was published, that is, 1 August 2026, was selected as the indicative incident date. This was recorded for documentation purposes only.