Hindu temple premises illegally encroached upon and defiled by members of Muslim community
Kaushambi District, Uttar Pradesh, India 
24 July, 2025
Case Summary
In the Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh, the premises of a Hindu temple were illegally encroached upon by members of the Muslim community. The accused also dirtied the premises of the sacred temple. According to media reports, the incident took place at the Masuria Mata Temple premises, located in Kishanpur Ambari village panchayat of the Nevada development block. The Muslim community had forcibly occupied the premises of the temple by setting up shops, raising concerns over the potential disturbance of religious harmony. The Hindu devotees reported that the Muslim encroachers were also spreading filth within the temple grounds. Temple trust officials reported that the administration had been informed about the issue several times, but no concrete action had been taken. Following this, the officials from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad stated that if the illegal occupation were not removed from the temple premises as soon as possible, the organisation would be compelled to initiate agitation. They warned the administration that any tampering with the sanctity of the temple or the sentiments of the devotees would not be tolerated. Subsequently, the officials from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Hindu Yuva Vahini went to the Tehsil and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy District Magistrate. Among those who submitted the memorandum were Vishwa Hindu Parishad Block President Bhuvaneshwar Tiwari, Hindu Vahini Sangh District President Bhaskar Anand, District Vice President Sandeep Mishra, Chhabi Narayan Tiwari, Sharda Prasad, and dozens of other officials and workers.
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- Encroachment or illicit takeover of temple land/land near temple. 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. Not only the Temple but the Temple premises in its entirety are considered sacred by Hindus. In several cases, the premises of the Temple and/or religious centre are illicitly taken over by institutions belonging to other faiths – like the Waqf board or the Church. Other times, the temple property, land or the property of religious centres are illicitly encroached by non-Hindu groups. Any illicit take over or encroachment is a crime an initio, however, when non-Hindu groups illicitly take over or encroach the sacred land of Hindus, it is an affront to the Hindu community and is therefore classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The other subcategory selected in this case 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. In this case, the illegal encroachment of the Masuria Mata Temple premises by members of the Muslim community demonstrates more than a property dispute; it is an attack on Hindu beliefs and religious freedom. Hindu temples are not merely structures but are held sacred by devotees as spaces for worship, prayer, and community gathering. Encroaching upon temple premises undermines the rights of Hindus to practise their faith freely, and it disrupts the sanctity of a space dedicated to the worship of Hindu deities. Such actions are deeply offensive to Hindu devotees, as they are a direct violation of their religious rights and an affront to their cultural and religious heritage. Furthermore, the act of dirtying/defiling temple grounds further aggravates the offence. Cleanliness and purity are central to Hindu worship and temple tradition. Deliberately spreading filth within temple premises is an act of desecration, profoundly hurtful to the religious sentiments of Hindu devotees and is detrimental to the sanctity of the temple. Such acts are a deliberate attempt to insult Hindu practices and to intimidate the Hindu community, making it an instance of a religiously motivated crime. Taken together, these actions, encroachment and deliberate desecration are not mere acts of nuisance or trespass. They constitute a hate crime as they target a community’s places of worship, disrespect their traditions, and seek to undermine their sense of security and dignity. Since this is a direct attack on the identity of Hindus and their sacred temples; therefore, it warrants its inclusion in the hate crime database. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that the report does not specify the exact date when the encroachment began. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
