Lord Ganesha idol vandalised in Puducherry University hostel
Puducherry, Puducherry, India 
11 March, 2025
Case Summary
In the Kamban Hostel of Puducherry University, a Hindu idol of Lord Ganesha was vandalised by six university students whose identities remained unknown. According to media reports, the students were intoxicated when they entered the hostel and violently smashed the idol. In response, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) strongly condemned the act and demanded strict action against those responsible. ABVP members, along with other hostel residents, sent an email to university authorities, including the Chief Warden, Registrar, and Vice-Chancellor, urging immediate action. They also met the Dean of Students’ Welfare (DSW), calling for the suspension of the culprits. The DSW assured them that a committee would be formed to investigate the incident, legal action would be taken, and directed the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to retrieve the CCTV footage for submission to the Registrar. This incident comes amid a noticeable increase in attacks on Hindu temples and idols in Tamil Nadu. In one recent case, authorities attempted to demolish the Muthumariamman Temple in Madurai, claiming it had been built on an illegal water body. Strong protests by Hindu organisations, including Hindu Munnani, forced the administration to withdraw the demolition order. In December 2024, the Kaliamman Mariamman Temple in Eriodu’s Vadugampadi Panchayat, Pannapatti, was vandalised and cash was stolen from its donation box. Similarly, the Madurai Veerapan Temple was looted, with all offerings taken. In another incident, a 31-year-old man named Anantha Balan from Kaezhaiyapillaiyoor poured 10 litres of petrol outside the Sri Kasi Viswanathar Temple and set it on fire. While police claimed he had mental health issues, Hindu activists pointed to a disturbing trend between 2022 and 2024, during which at least 18 individuals—either mentally unstable or intoxicated—targeted Hindu shrines.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within it, the sub-category selected is: - Desecration of Hindu religious symbol. 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 vandalism of the murti of Lord Ganesha in Puducherry University’s Kamban Hostel constitutes a hate crime against Hindus as it directly targeted a sacred religious representation central to the Hindu faith. In Hinduism, murtis are not mere decorative objects but deeply revered embodiments of divinity, to which daily rituals, prayers, and offerings are made. The deliberate act of smashing a murti of Lord Ganesha—an immensely venerated deity associated with auspicious beginnings—amounts to the desecration of a core spiritual symbol. Such an act cannot be viewed in isolation, as it strikes at the heart of Hindu religious practice and iconography, which are essential to the community’s spiritual life and identity. Here, one could argue that the accused were drunk and therefore not in a right state of mind. But it is important to understand that intoxication does not absolve criminal intent when the act itself reveals deliberate targeting of a religious symbol. In this case, the accused specifically desecrated a murti of the Lord Ganesha, not an arbitrary object or unrelated property. Even under the influence of alcohol, target selection indicates motive. If the accused had no hostility or intention, their actions could have been erratic or aimless. Instead, the destruction was directed at a revered religious revealing a deeper animosity rather than random behaviour. Such targeted destruction is not a random or drunken outburst but a conscious act of hostility against the faith and its public expressions. By attacking a symbol central to Hindu identity and devotion, the act expresses animosity toward the Hindu community as a whole, fulfilling the criteria of a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
