Shiva temple in Hathras desecrated: Muslim woman entered with slippers, attempted Namaz, and spat near idols
Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, India 
3 June, 2025
Case Summary
In Sasni town of Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh, a Muslim woman entered the Shiv temple while wearing slippers and began offering Namaz inside the temple premises. The perpetrator spat near idols. According to reports, in the late evening, the Muslim woman entered the temple premises and started behaving strangely. Devotees present in the temple reported that she was offering Namaz inside the temple and was accompanied by a man who was recording a video of her actions. Devotees confronted the duo, creating a tense environment. While the man fled the scene, the woman was refused to leave and began spitting around the idols, further escalating the situation. Police promptly arrived at the temple and took the Muslim woman into custody. Police claimed that upon questioning, the Muslim woman appeared to be mentally unstable and was unable to recall details about her identity or background. She was subsequently sent to the Apna Ghar Ashram in Hathras for care. The police also denied that Namaz had actually been offered in the temple. Following the incident, temple authorities and devotees performed purification rituals and chanted mantras in response to what had transpired.
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 - Breaking rules of places of worship. 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. One of these oral traditions or written traditions is the rules of specific temples. Certain temples have rules which are traditional rules, dependent on the worship of the presiding deities. These rules and traditions have been followed for thousands of years whether they find scriptural mention or not. Such traditions are based on the nature and rules of worship of the presiding deity of that temple. Any non-compliance 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 presiding deity but also disregard for the faith of the devotees of that deity/temple and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition and the deity itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific temple and presiding deity, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The other sub-category relevant here 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. The other sub-category selected here 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 here 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. This case has been added to the tracker because a Muslim woman offered namaz inside the Shiv temple. The Shiv temple is a sacred Hindu site, and offering non-Hindu prayers within its sanctum is a direct violation of the religious and ritual purity of the space. Such an act is not merely inappropriate but is perceived as an intentional affront to Hindu sentiments and traditions. Offering Namaz at such a sacred place is a calculated attempt at provoking Hindu religious sentiments and a violation of the temple's sanctity. It wasn't an act of ignorance on the part of the Muslim woman, but an intentional act of defilement of the temple traditions, done with full knowledge of the religious sensitivities and restrictions at that place. Furthermore, the devotees also stated that there was a man present with her who was recording the incident, which further proves that the intentions behind this act were malicious from the outset. Furthermore, the Muslim woman refused to leave the temple and started spitting on the idols present in the temple. In Sanatan Dharma, not only are the deities sacred, but so too are the customs surrounding their worship. Spitting on an idol violates the religious practices and emotional sanctity of Hindu devotees. Such acts reflect not only hatred toward the tradition itself, but also a deep-seated disregard for the faith of its followers. It is a form of psychological violence intended to humiliate, intimidate, and marginalise a religious minority. As such, this is not merely vandalism—it is a deliberate, symbolic attack on the Hindu identity, and must be recognised and condemned as a hate crime. This incident aligns with a pattern where Muslims tend to enter Hindu religious spaces to carry out actions that are meant to insult, undermine, or challenge Hindu customs. Such repeated and targeted violations indicate not ignorance, but an ideological motive rooted in religious animosity. Therefore, this case has been added to the tracker. In several cases, where Muslims vandalise and desecrate Hindu places of worship, a usual trope to shield the perpetrator is to attribute the crime to the mental health of the accused, claiming that the crime was committed since the perpetrator was ‘mentally ill’ or ‘mentally unstable’. Even in this case, the same argument was presented. The police and the media, in many such cases, where the crime has been committed against the Hindu faith by a non-Hindu perpetrator, deny that the crime committed was in any way motivated by a religious bias and attribute it to the perpetrator’s mental health. Many a time, the police downplay incidents of low-level communal crime because it is their jurisdiction that comes under question. The police also often say that the crime was committed because the accused was mentally unstable, or because they wish to ensure that, owing to the crime already committed, there is no further flare-up in the area. In fact, there are many cases where this strategy has been used by the media to downplay such incidents where the crime was committed by a Muslim perpetrator, for example, the attack on the Gorakhnath temple or the incident in Telangana where two Muslim women wearing a burqa tried to damage temple and church idols. Likewise, in this case too, when a Muslim woman was caught offering Namaz inside the Hindu temple and was seen spitting on the idol, the police attributed the act to her mental illness. The use of the "mental illness" trope to justify crimes targeting Hindu temples or idols by Muslim perpetrators raises critical questions. If perpetrators are indeed mentally unstable, why do they specifically target Hindu idols and places of worship, leaving mosques untouched? This selective focus suggests that such acts are not driven by mental health issues but by religious animosity. The repeated use of this narrative to downplay crimes against Hindus reflects a strategic effort to whitewash religious hatred, obscuring the true motivations and intentions behind the attacks. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that the report does not mention the exact date when the Muslim woman offered namaz inside the Shiv temple. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date of the incident based on when it was reported in the media.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
female
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