Telangana police defiles place of worship of Ayyappa devotees by entering with shoes, disrupts ritual citing Christian festival

Case Summary
In Telangana's Medchal district, police reportedly disrupted an Ayyappa Swami Pooja citing Christmas festivities. The police officials entered the Mandapam with shoes and attempted to halt the rituals. Media outlet Organiser reported that the dispute arose after Sub-Inspector Ashok demanded the loudspeaker be turned off, based on the church’s complaint. The event's organiser, Ravindra Goud, a BJYM leader, refused to comply with the demand. Owing to this, the police forced their way into the Mandapam wearing shoes and attempted to halt the rituals, disrespecting traditional practices. Devotees protested the arbitrary action of the police by chanting "Jai Shri Ram" slogans. Based on the information on the day this case was added to the database, the Telangana Police were reportedly planning to file an FIR against Goud. In response, Ayyappa devotees and Hindu organizations are organizing a protest against the police.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under two prime categories. The first is- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Administration restricting religious practices. In several cases, it is seen that the administration/state disallows a religious practice owing to prejudicial orders and concerns, targeted specifically against the Hindu community. Such restriction/prohibition would be considered documented as a hate crime because the orders are often a result of pressure by groups that harbour animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. Often, the restriction by the authorities is driven by bias, hostility, or prejudice against the specific community being stopped from holding a religious practice, by pressure groups that harbour animosity towards Hindus, intrinsic to their faith. Since practices are intrinsic to the faith of the Hindus, such prejudicial restriction is considered a curtailing of the fundamental rights of the Hindu community. In several cases, for example, the authorities ban a Hindu religious practice due to pressure from groups opposed to the religion. In other instances the prohibition is selectively enforced against one religious group (Hindus) while others are allowed to proceed. There are still other cases where the authorities preemptively restrict a religious practice by Hindus because those who hold animosity towards Hindus may get “provoked” leading to them being violent, thereby assuaging the sentiments of those who hold animosity towards Hindus by curtailing the religious rights of Hindus. Such acts and orders are prejudiced, indicating discriminatory motives owing to the capitulation to groups that harbour animosity towards Hindus and therefore, would be categorized as a religiously motivated hate crime since the original pressure leading to the order itself is a result of hatred/bias/prejudice/religious hate against Hindus. The second category selected here is- Attack on Hindu religious representation and within this, the sub-category 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 incident clearly fits as a religiously motivated hate crime under the above-mentioned categories because, firstly, the disruption of the Ayyappa Swami Pooja by the Telangana police, along with their disrespectful behaviour of entering the Mandapam, a sacred space of religious observation, in shoes and attempting to halt the religious rituals, not only defiled the sacred customs of the Hindu devotees but also directly infringed upon the religious practices of Hindus. Secondly, the administration imposed restrictions on the ritual without valid grounds and disregarded the customs associated with the event. By prioritizing Christmas celebrations over the religious observance of Ayyappa devotees, the police's actions reflect a clear bias against Hindus and a complete disregard for Hindu customs. This was a clear attempt to undermine the right of Hindus to practice their faith freely. Such arbitrary actions taken against Hindus are prejudicial to the rights of Hindus and stem from animosity and prejudice against Hindu beliefs, which is why this case is being categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.

Case Status
Unknown

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
State and Establishment
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male