Navratri celebrations desecrated; Muslim woman dumps fish waste at annaprasadam event outside Hindu temple in Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Telangana, India 
15 October, 2026
Case Summary
In Hyderabad, Telangana, Navratri celebrations were desecrated when a Muslim woman dumped fish waste, along with water used to clean fish, outside a Hindu temple where an annaprasadam event was taking place. Annaprasadam is a religious offering of food to the deity, which is subsequently distributed among devotees as a sacred offering. According to media reports, on the occasion of the Navratri festival, Hindu women in the RK Puram locality of Sainikpuri, Hyderabad, were distributing annaprasadam outside a Hindu temple. They had set up tables on the road outside a Muslim woman's house and were distributing food to devotees. The Muslim woman's house was the only Muslim household in the locality. The Muslim woman objected to the tables being placed outside her house and asked the Hindu women not to set them up there. The Hindu women stated that they had been distributing annaprasadam at the same spot every day and that it had never been an issue before. This subsequently led to a verbal argument between the two sides. Following the argument, the situation escalated when the Muslim woman dumped water used to clean fish, along with raw fish waste, from the first floor of her house onto the spot where the annaprasadam was being distributed. The act disrupted the prasad distribution during the festival and subsequently triggered outrage among Hindus, who gathered at the spot, raised religious slogans and demanded action against the Muslim woman. The Neredmet Police were informed, and they arrived at the scene to take action against her. The police registered a case against the Muslim woman under Sections 196, 299, 351 and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. According to Inspector Venkataiah of Neredmet Police Station, the woman was arrested and subsequently sent to judicial remand.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The 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 exemplifies a religiously driven hate crime, as a Muslim woman desecrated a sacred Hindu annaprasadam event by dumping fish waste and water used to clean fish at the distribution site following a dispute over tables outside her house. Rather than resolving the disagreement through ordinary means, she defiled a religious observance, demonstrating hostility towards Hindu religious practices and hurting the sentiments of Hindu devotees. The incident occurred during Navratri, one of the most sacred festivals in Hinduism, dedicated to the worship of the Divine Mother in her various forms, particularly Durga. The festival celebrates the triumph of divine power over evil and is observed through prayers, fasting, temple visits, rituals and community celebrations. Annadanam, the offering and distribution of food as an act of charity and devotion, also holds immense significance in Hinduism. Food offered to the deity and distributed among devotees is regarded as sacred prasadam, embodying divine blessings and the spirit of service. During such religious observances, Hindus take care to maintain ritual purity and sanctity. Non-vegetarian food, including fish, meat and eggs, is considered ritually impure in Hindu religious rituals and is therefore kept away from spaces where religious ceremonies and sacred food offerings take place to preserve their purity and sanctity. Therefore, the act of deliberately dumping fish waste and water used to clean fish at the annaprasadam distribution site defiled the sanctity of a sacred Hindu observance during Navratri and hurt the religious sentiments of devotees. The initial disagreement concerned tables placed outside the woman's house, a matter that could have been resolved through dialogue or intervention by local residents, the police or the local administration. Instead, the perpetrator escalated the dispute into a deliberate act of religious desecration, demonstrating blatant disregard for Hindu religious beliefs, customs and sentiments. Her decision to defile a sacred food distribution event over a minor disagreement reflects deep-seated religious animosity towards Hinduism and the Hindu community, making this a clear case of a religiously driven hate crime. The location of the incident further underscores its religious significance, as the annaprasadam event was taking place immediately outside a Hindu temple, a sacred space regarded as the abode of the deity and a centre of worship. The sanctity of a temple extends beyond its inner sanctum to its entrance and immediate surroundings, where devotees gather for prayers, rituals and other religious observances. By dumping fish waste and water used to clean fish at the site immediately outside the temple, the perpetrator not only desecrated the annaprasadam event but also defiled the sanctity of the temple's immediate surroundings. This act demonstrated blatant disregard for the sacredness of the Hindu place of worship and further reflected her religious hostility towards Hinduism and its adherents. This was not an isolated incident of Hindu religious celebrations being desecrated through the use of eggs or meat. The Hinduphobia Tracker had documented similar incidents during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in 2026, when Muslim perpetrators targeted Hindu religious processions and celebrations with substances considered ritually impure in Hindu religious contexts. In Mazagaon, South Mumbai, the sanctity of a Hindu religious procession was desecrated when a Muslim man named Danish Sher Khan threw eggs at the Ganpati idol, the pandal and the accompanying procession. The incident triggered tension in the area. The accused stated that fumes from firecrackers had irritated him and that he had thrown the eggs in anger. However, this explanation did not erase the religious implications of the act, which targeted a Ganpati idol, a place of worship and a procession of Hindu devotees during a religious festival. Similarly, in Madannapet, Hyderabad, a Ganesh idol immersion procession and an annadanam event were defiled when three Muslim residents threw pieces of meat from the seventh floor of an apartment building. The police described the incident as communal and stated that the meat thrown resembled beef. The act targeted Hindu religious observances at a time when devotees had gathered to participate in the immersion procession and the sacred community feast. Another similar incident occurred in Kurla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, during the Navratri celebrations in October 2026. On 13 October 2026, three Muslim youths deliberately threw an egg towards a Durga pandal, targeting a Hindu religious celebration. These incidents demonstrate a recurring pattern of Hindu religious celebrations being desecrated through acts involving substances considered ritually impure in Hindu religious practices. The recurrence of such incidents during major Hindu festivals indicates that these are not isolated occurrences and highlights the deep-seated religious animosity reflected in acts that defile the sanctity of Hindu worship and hurt the sentiments of Hindu devotees. Overall, since this current case meets the parameters of a hate-driven offence, it is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the crime occurred, rather than when it was reported by the media. However, in this case, media reports did not specify the exact date of the incident. The incident came to light on 15 October 2026, when media reports were published. Hence, 15 October 2026 has been selected as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only. In this case, although several social media accounts stated that two Muslim women had thrown fish waste at the annadanam site, media reports referred to only one Muslim woman as the perpetrator. As the media reports provide the available documented account of the incident, the Hinduphobia Tracker has recorded the perpetrator count as one Muslim woman for documentation purposes.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
