Quran and other Islamic texts placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of a Kali temple in Assam
Nagaon, Assam, India 
25 February, 2023
Case Summary
On February 26, a copy of the Quran and other Islamic scriptures including Hadiths were placed by miscreants at the sanctum sanctorum of a temple, dedicated to Goddess Kali. The incident took place in Garajan village in Rupohihat in the Nagaon district of Assam. The villagers alerted the police when the incident came to light. After learning of the situation, the police arrived quickly and started investigating that matter. They also seized the copy of the Quran and other Islamic scriptures placed at the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The incident has created an atmosphere of chaos and unrest in the Rupohihat area. Locals had raised questions about how the Islamic book ended up within the temple premises and the intention behind orchestrating such an event. They demanded rapid action against those involved in the desecration of the temple. It must be mentioned that the deliberate placement of the Quran in Hindu temples by Islamists has led to large-scale attacks against the Hindu community in the past.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
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. In this case, despite understanding that Hindu temples are dedicated to the worship of Hindu deities and are considered sacred spaces specifically for the practice of Hindu rituals and prayers and introducing religious texts from another faith is violating the sanctity of the temple, the miscreants purposely placed the Quran in the Kali temple in Assam. It is important to mention here that though the last update was that the miscreants were unknown, regardless, the action stemmed out of hatred against Hinduism and resulted in the desecration of the sacred temple and would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. It is further important to note that in many such cases, the miscreants have turned out to be Muslim men who deliberately placed Islamic text in the Temple so Hindus could subsequently be targeted for "Blasphemy". In 2021, a similar incident had occured in Bangladesh where a Muslim man had deliberately placed a Quran in a Durga Puja Pandal, leading to large scale violence against Hindus by Muslim mobs in the name of blasphemy. Such incidents underscore the religious hostility towards Hindus and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
