Hindu temple desecrated in Muslim-dominated area of Nalanda; Muslim children hurl stones, desecrate idols and urinate near Shivalinga
Nalanda, Bihar, India 
11 September, 2026
Case Summary
In the Sherpur Thawai locality of Bihar Sharif, a Muslim-dominated area in Nalanda, Bihar, a Shiva temple was vandalised and desecrated by three Muslim children aged between four and five. The children pelted stones and bricks at the premises, damaged the Hanuman idol installed outside the temple, spat inside the shrine, urinated near the Shivalinga and temple gate, and used abusive language. The entire incident was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the temple. The Hinduphobia Tracker team contacted the Superintendent of Police of Nalanda district, Sri Hriday Kant, who confirmed that all three perpetrators were Muslims. He said the children had damaged the idols outside the temple and urinated inside the premises. He added that the Muslim children were questioned about what had motivated them to attack the temple and that a detailed investigation was underway to determine whether they had acted on their own or at someone else's direction. The incident took place on 12 September 2026. The temple's doors were closed during the afternoon. At around 2:45 PM, the three Muslim children arrived at the temple and began throwing bricks and stones at the temple gate and premises. They also spat inside the temple and urinated near the Shivalinga and temple gate. Local Hindu youth Suraj Kumar reached the temple after 3 PM and noticed several bricks and stones lying near the gate. Initially, he did not pay much attention to the matter and cleaned the temple premises. The Hindu residents later checked the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, which showed the three children entering the temple, throwing bricks and stones, spitting, and urinating. The CCTV footage also captured audio of the Muslim children using abusive language. Aman Kumar, who performed puja at the temple, said the area was predominantly Muslim and that the Shiva temple was the only temple in the locality. He said miscreants often gathered near the temple and that the children had deliberately thrown stones at the temple gate before entering the premises and urinating inside. He further said that thefts had previously occurred at the temple and that such incidents continued to hurt the sentiments of local Hindu devotees. After reviewing the footage, local residents informed the administration and police to prevent the situation from escalating. Police received information about the incident at around 6 PM and reached the spot. The police subsequently issued a press release stating that they had received information about an attempt by miscreants to damage the Hanuman idol installed outside the Shiva temple. After examining the CCTV footage, police found that three children aged around four to five had thrown bricks and stones at the idol. The three children were detained and questioned, while a First Information Report (FIR) was registered based on a written complaint submitted by applicant Aarav Raj. Suraj Kumar said the residents informed the administration to prevent the situation from deteriorating further. He also said that the pathways leading to the temple had been encroached upon. According to him, devotees had earlier used the main entrance, but the route would frequently become muddy. Local youths had filled the route with soil to make it accessible, but it was later closed. He said two routes leading to the temple had subsequently been blocked due to encroachment. The only remaining route had broken drains and was in poor condition, making it difficult for devotees to visit the temple for morning and evening prayers. Suraj further said that similar incidents had taken place at the temple previously. The temple was located in Ward No. 41 of the Bihar Sharif Assembly constituency. On Mahashivratri in February 2026, Bihar Sharif MLA Dr Sunil Kumar inaugurated the newly constructed chabutra using Rs 14.90 lakh from his Member of the Legislative Assembly fund. However, local Hindu residents said construction work at the temple was still incomplete and that a boundary wall had not yet been constructed. They said the absence of a boundary wall made it easier for people to enter the temple premises. Following the incident, magistrates, police officials and additional police personnel were deployed at and around the temple premises to maintain communal harmony and law and order. Police personnel remained in the area until late at night and continued to monitor the situation closely. At the time of writing this report, officials said the situation remained normal and under control, while further legal action in the matter was underway.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In this case, the primary category selected is: 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. The other 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. The other subcategory selected 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, 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. This case was a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime because the Muslim children vandalised a sacred Hindu temple. They pelted stones and bricks at its premises, damaging the Hanuman idol outside, urinating near the Shivalinga and temple gate, and spitting inside, thereby desecrating the place of worship and its sacred religious representations. The most significant religious marker in the incident was the attack on the Hindu temple itself. A temple holds a central and revered position in Hindu religious life, serving as a sacred space for worship, prayer, ritual observances and communion with the divine. Hindus regard temples as consecrated spaces in which the presence of the divine is invoked and experienced through prescribed forms of worship. The sanctity of a temple therefore extends beyond its physical structure to the entire premises where religious rituals are performed, and devotees offer prayers. In this context, the deliberate pelting of bricks and stones at the temple gate and premises was not merely an act of property damage. It was an attack directed at a Hindu place of worship and the religious practices associated with it. By targeting the temple, the perpetrators demonstrated hostility towards a sacred institution of Hinduism and towards the Hindu devotees who worshipped there. Such deliberate aggression against a Hindu place of worship is rooted in religious hostility and constitutes a religiously driven hate crime. The perpetrators also desecrated sacred Hindu religious representations kept outside the temple, including the idol of Lord Hanuman, which was damaged during the attack. Hindu idols are consecrated representations of the divine and hold deep religious significance for devotees, who worship them as part of their religious practice. Idols placed at temple entrances and within the temple premises are likewise treated with reverence and form part of the sacred environment of the shrine. Throwing bricks and stones at the Hanuman idol and damaging it therefore constituted a direct act of desecration against a revered representation of a Hindu deity. By deliberately targeting an object held sacred by Hindus, the perpetrators violated its religious sanctity and caused an affront to the sentiments of the Hindu community. Such an act demonstrated hostility towards Hindu beliefs and constituted a clear instance of religiously driven hate. The deliberate defilement of the temple premises through urination and spitting further demonstrated the religious hostility underlying the incident. The Shivalinga is one of the most revered sacred representations of Lord Shiva and holds a central place in Hindu worship. Devotees offer prayers and ritual offerings to the Shivalinga as an expression of their devotion to Lord Shiva, and the area surrounding it is therefore treated as sacred. Urinating near the Shivalinga constituted a direct violation of its sanctity and desecrated a sacred object of profound religious reverence for Hindus, demonstrating contempt for Hindu religious beliefs and practices. Urinating near the temple gate further defiled the entrance to a consecrated place of worship, while spitting inside the temple premises violated the standards of cleanliness, purity and respectful conduct observed within Hindu temples. These acts desecrated the sanctity of the temple and violated the sacred norms governing conduct within a Hindu place of worship. Taken together, the acts of urination and spitting demonstrated profound disrespect towards Hindu religious practices and constituted clear hostility towards Hinduism and the Hindu community. The fact that the incident occurred in a Muslim-dominated locality further highlighted the hostility faced by the Hindu minority in the area. Local residents stated that similar incidents had previously occurred at the temple, along with thefts, indicating a repeated pattern of targeting Hindu religious spaces. The continued desecration of a Hindu temple in a Muslim-dominated area reflected religious hostility and an assertion of religious dominance over the Hindu minority. Such repeated targeting demonstrated hostility towards Hinduism and Hindu religious institutions and reflected characteristics of Islamic supremacist behaviour. Another concerning aspect of this case was that all three accused were minor children, aged between four and five. This highlights the unfortunate reality that such animosity towards Hindus and their faith is instilled from a very young age. The venomous seed of hatred has historically been sown by Muslim radicals, particularly targeting Hindus, who have borne the brunt of such prejudice. Muslim radicals openly endorse the concept of Islamic supremacy and harbour animosity towards Hindu religious beliefs and practices. Though it was the Muslim children who vandalised the Hindu temple, damaged the temple idols, pelted stones and bricks at the temple premises, and defiled the sacred space by urinating near the Shivalinga and temple gate and spitting inside, their actions highlighted how deeply ingrained hostility towards Hinduism manifests in attacks on Hindu religious institutions. The primary target in this case was a Hindu temple and its sacred religious representations, reflecting deep-seated animosity towards the Hindu faith and its places of worship. Since this case met several parameters of a religiously driven hate crime, it was added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
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