Case Summary

In Lattipur village, located in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, an under-construction idol of Goddess Durga, being prepared for the upcoming Durga Puja festival, was vandalised by unknown miscreants. According to local media reports, the idol was kept inside a Durga temple when the incident occurred. The incident came to light following outrage among local Hindu residents, who stated that unknown miscreants had deliberately desecrated the idol. The incident sparked tensions and outrage in the locality, prompting the police to arrive at the scene and initiate an investigation. Mohan Yadav, a member of the Durga Puja committee, stated that the police had been informed about the incident and had begun investigating the matter. The local administration condemned the desecration, noting that Goddess Durga held cultural and religious significance and that such acts were condemnable. It also appealed to people to maintain peace and communal harmony. Rajesh Kumar Thakur, the temple priest, also condemned the incident and urged people to maintain peace and harmony. He stated that the temple had been established in 1962 and that Durga Puja celebrations had been organised there since 1990. The temple thus had a longstanding history of hosting the festival, and the desecration of the idol hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. At the time of writing this report, the police were investigating the incident and stated that further action would be taken based on their findings. A security guard was also appointed at the temple to safeguard the premises, protect it from unknown miscreants and prevent similar incidents in the future.

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Why it is Hate Crime ?

The primary category selected in this case is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The 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: 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. This case was a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime, as a sacred, under-construction idol of Goddess Durga was vandalised inside a Hindu temple just days before Sharadiya Durga Puja. This act directly targeted a religious symbol central to the festival and hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. Durga Puja is one of the most sacred Hindu festivals, celebrating Goddess Durga’s victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura and symbolising the triumph of good over evil. Idols of Hindu deities are sacred representations of the divine and serve as focal points for worship, devotion and religious rituals. Idols prepared specifically for Durga Puja hold particular religious significance, as they are consecrated for the ceremonial worship of Goddess Durga and form an integral part of the community’s religious observances. Their desecration therefore constitutes an affront to the faith, devotion and religious traditions of Hindu worshippers. The vandalisation of the under-construction idol of Goddess Durga was not merely an act of damage to an object; it was a desecration of a sacred symbol revered by Hindus. Such an act demonstrated contempt for Hindu religious beliefs and a blatant disregard for the religious sentiments of the community. Attacks on sacred Hindu symbols also instil fear among devotees about practising their faith and celebrating their festivals without the threat of deliberate desecration. The targeting of a sacred idol in this manner constituted an act of hostility towards Hinduism and its religious practices. The incident took place inside a Hindu temple with a longstanding tradition of hosting Durga Puja celebrations. Established in 1962, the temple had hosted the festival since 1990, making it an established part of its religious tradition. Hindu temples and the idols enshrined within them form an interconnected religious ecosystem, with temples serving as sacred spaces for worship and rituals, while idols serve as focal points of devotion. Vandalising the idol within the temple therefore desecrated a sacred religious symbol and violated the sanctity of the place of worship. The act undermined the religious significance of the temple and hurt the sentiments of Hindu devotees. Such desecration demonstrated hostility towards Hindu religious beliefs and practices, making the incident a clear example of religiously driven animosity. The timing of the incident further aggravated its religious significance. The idol was being prepared for Sharadiya Durga Puja, meaning that its desecration directly disrupted preparations for one of the most sacred occasions in the Hindu religious calendar. By vandalising an idol intended for worship during the forthcoming festival, the perpetrator desecrated a sacred object at a time when the community was preparing to honour Goddess Durga. Such an act inflicted distress on Hindu devotees, undermined their religious preparations and created fear and communal tension during a period of religious celebration. Rather than allowing the community to prepare for the festival in an atmosphere of devotion and reverence, the desecration subjected it to anguish and apprehension. The deliberate targeting of a religious symbol intended for an imminent Hindu festival made the incident particularly grave and further reinforced its classification as a religiously driven hate crime. This was not an isolated incident. The Hinduphobia Tracker documented 96 cases targeting Durga Puja celebrations between 1 January 2023 and 9 October 2026, including attacks on Hindu religious processions, Durga Puja idols and pandals. These figures revealed a recurring pattern of attacks on Hindu religious symbols, places of worship and festival celebrations. The repeated targeting of Durga Puja observances demonstrated that such incidents were not merely isolated acts of vandalism but formed part of a broader pattern of hostility towards Hindu religious practices. These alarming statistics underscored the vulnerability of Hindu religious celebrations to deliberate disruption and the repeated harm inflicted on the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. This wider pattern further supported the classification of the present incident as a religiously driven hate crime. At the time of writing, the perpetrators’ identities remained unknown. Nevertheless, the act targeted a sacred Hindu religious symbol within a temple immediately before a major Hindu festival and was rooted in hostility towards Hinduism. Therefore, this case was added to the Hinduphobia Tracker’s hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of an incident based on when a crime occurs, rather than when it is reported by the media. However, in this case, media reports did not specify the exact date on which the vandalism took place. Therefore, 5 October 2026, the date on which the incident was reported by the media, was selected as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only.