Kali idol vandalised by Muslim man and accomplice; Hindu deities abused and priest threatened with death
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
3 July, 2025
Case Summary
In Bhevli village, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu temple idol of the goddess Kali was vandalised by a Muslim youth and his accomplice. The perpetrators also hurled abuses at Hindu deities while desecrating the idol and issued death threats to the priest of the temple. According to the media reports, the accused were identified as a Muslim man named Shahid and his accomplice, Sheetlaprasad Nishad. Both perpetrators had desecrated and broken one of the hands of the Kali idol. The temple priest, Paras, narrated that two middle-aged men parked a motorcycle near the temple, entered the premises, vandalised the idol, and shouted abuses at Hindu deities. When the temple priest attempted to intervene, the perpetrators threatened him with death. The temple priest then sent a boy named Lavkush, son of Ramgopal, who was staying with him, into the village to raise an alarm and call for help. The villagers who arrived at the scene locked the two men inside the temple and informed the police. The desecration of the temple idol caused massive outrage from the local Hindu devotees who regularly worshipped the goddess at the temple. The police arrived promptly at the spot, inspected the scene, and registered a case against both accused, who were subsequently sent to jail. ACP Chakeri Abhishek Pandey and Maharajpur station officer Sanjay Kumar Pandey inspected the site. They reported that a new idol had been ordered, and in the meantime, the broken right hand of the idol had been reattached with plaster to ensure that worship could continue until the arrival of the new idol.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within this, the subcategory 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 other sub-category 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. Another primary category relevant in this case is- Hate Speech against Hindus. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faith. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to use as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem out of inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith, therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. This case has been added to the tracker as the Muslim perpetrator and his accomplice deliberately desecrated a sacred temple idol of the goddess Kali. In Hinduism, idols of deities are not merely artistic representations but are deeply revered manifestations of the divine. The desecration of such idols is regarded as a direct affront to Hindu religious sentiments and an act of profound disrespect. These attacks are not simply crimes against property, but acts of violence against the spiritual and emotional core of the Hindu community. This incident qualifies as an attack on a temple because the perpetrators deliberately entered a Hindu religious site and vandalised the sacred idol of goddess Kali, an act that directly violates the sanctity of the temple. The abuse hurled at Hindu deities and the death threat issued to the priest further underscore that the attack was not random, but a targeted assault on a Hindu place of worship, its symbols, and its caretakers. Also, perpetrators hurled abuses at Hindu deities while desecrating the idol, further underscoring the religious animosity behind the act. Such abusive acts reflect deep-seated hostility towards the Hindu faith and inflict grave emotional harm on its followers. Moreover, when the temple priest attempted to intervene, he was threatened with death, escalating the incident into a direct threat against the safety of those protecting Hindu religious spaces. This clearly demonstrates that the attack was not only deliberate but also rooted in religious hatred. The psychological impact of such attacks is immense. Temples are spaces of solace, devotion, and cultural continuity. When sacred idols are desecrated, it violates the sanctity of these spaces and inflicts a deep wound on the collective psyche of the Hindu community. Given the targeted nature of this incident, the religious abuse, the desecration of a sacred idol, and the threat to the temple priest, this case is a clear example of a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus and their faith. Therefore, it is being added to the hate crime database. Disclaimer: While two individuals were involved in the desecration incident, only one—Shahid—has been clearly identified as Muslim in the available reports. The religious identity of the second accused, Sheetlaprasad Nishad, is not confirmed. Therefore, for the purposes of this report, the perpetrator count under the ‘Muslim’ category has been recorded as 1.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
