Attack on Hindu sentiments: pieces of meat deliberately thrown near Hindu temple in Karamdaha
Jamtara, Jharkhand, India 
28 December, 2019
Case Summary
In Karamdaha, pieces of meat were thrown near the Dukhiya Mahadev temple by unidentified miscreants. According to reports, the Hindu temple is situated in a sensitive area on the border of Dhanbad and Jamtara districts in Jharkhand. Some unknown miscreants threw pieces of meat near the temple. The act sparked immediate outrage. Hundreds of devotees and local Hindu residents gathered to protest, blocking the main road for nearly six hours and demanding swift action against the culprits. Tensions escalated, leading to confrontations between protestors and the police. An FIR was registered, and police referred to the perpetrators as "mischievous elements." Jamtara MLA and Congress leader Irfan Ansari condemned the incident, calling the perpetrators "terrorists" and assuring the public that they would be apprehended and brought to justice.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory 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. The other 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 has been added to the tracker because pieces of meat were deliberately thrown near the Hindu temple by some unknown miscreants. This is a deliberate violation of the sanctity of Hindu temples, which are revered as sacred spaces of worship. Introducing meat into such premises is a blatant desecration aimed at provoking Hindus and mocking their deeply held beliefs. Such an act reflects a profound disregard for the faith and its practices, stemming from underlying animosity toward Hinduism. This incident exemplifies an intentional effort to insult religious sentiments, warranting its inclusion as a serious offence motivated by hatred. This act cannot be viewed merely as a breach of law and order but as a calculated attempt to dishonour Hindu religious customs, particularly those linked to temple purity and ritual observance. This act of dumping meat near the Hindu temple highlights that the perpetrators' behaviour reflects not only insensitivity but a conscious and targeted affront to deeply held Hindu religious sentiments, and therefore must be seen in the broader context of communal intimidation. Such acts fall under the ambit of religiously motivated hate crimes because they violate the dignity of Hindus by deliberately defiling their sacred temples. In Hindu belief, a temple is not just a place of congregation but the living abode of the deity, who is considered a real presence after consecration. By throwing meat around the temple compound, the perpetrators launched a direct assault on the sanctity of the deity’s abode. In this case, even though the perpetrators are unknown, the act stemmed from religious animosity towards Hinduism and resulted in the defilement of a sacred temple. Therefore, this incident should be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime and included in the Hinduphobia Tracker within the hate crime database.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
