Hindu temple land violated on Onam day: Unauthorised pro-Palestinian rally held by Jamaat-e-Islami women’s wing
Kannur, Kerala, India 
4 September, 2025
Case Summary
A pro-Palestinian demonstration was staged on the premises of the Madayipara Dewaswom temple grounds in Kannur district, Kerala, on 5 September 2025, coinciding with the Hindu festival of Tiru Onam. The event was organised by the Girls Islamic Organisation (GIO), the women’s wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, without any authorisation, in an area where similar gatherings had been prohibited by the Kerala High Court due to ecological sensitivity. The temple land, which houses two temples, was used for the protest without permission, raising outrage from Hindu organisations and political parties. The Pazhayangadi police filed a suo motu FIR naming GIO Kerala General Secretary Afra Shihab and 30 other identified activists, charging them under Sections 189(2) (joining an unlawful assembly), 191(2) (rioting by an unlawful assembly), and 192 read with 190 (liability for offences committed by members of an unlawful assembly) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. According to the FIR, the group unlawfully assembled “with intent to commit an offence and cause disturbance in society” while marching through the Madayipara temple property with flags, banners, and slogans in support of Palestine. Reports indicate that more than 700 individuals participated in the demonstration. Videos from the rally circulated online, showing participants chanting “Free, free Palestine,” “Down with Israel,” and “Israel is a terrorist state.” Police confirmed opposition from several organisations but did not name them. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemned the event, stating that GIO deliberately chose the Onam festival day to provoke communal unrest. The party claimed that school buses were used to transport demonstrators and called for punitive action against the school and protestors under anti-national activity provisions. BJP leaders also called Malayalam media outlets for concealing the fact that the protest occurred on the Dewaswom temple property and criticised the lack of arrests. Jamaat-e-Islami Kerala declared it would challenge the FIR legally. The investigation remained ongoing, with no arrests made to date.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category in this case is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory under this is: Breaking rules of place 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. Second subcategory under this 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. Another subcategory relevant in this case is: Abrahamic religious chanting outside Hindu religious places and/or during Hindu activities. 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. Similarly, religious activities hold deep significance for Hindus, as they are intricately connected to their spiritual, cultural, and social lives. These practices encompass rituals, festivals, prayers, and pilgrimages that celebrate and honour various deities, fostering a sense of spiritual connection, community, and cultural continuity. Given the central significance of Temples and religious activities in Hindu Dharma, any aggressive Abrahamic chanting outside Temples or during religious activities negates the divinity of the religious space because the chanting itself negates the existence of any other God other than the God of the Abrahamic faith. Such chanting is specifically done to negate the faith of Hindus, establish religious supremacy, intimidate the devotees and mock the faith. Besides temples, such Abrahamic chanting outside any Hindu place of worship or religious structure or during any religious activity has the same effect. Since such acts are rooted in an inherent religious supremacist mentality driven by religious animosity, such crimes would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This incident was added to the Hinduphobia Tracker because it constitutes a deliberate violation of Hindu religious space and reflects targeted animosity towards the Hindu cultural order. The Madayipara Dewaswom temple grounds are sanctified premises reserved for Hindu worship and ritual observance. They are not public squares for political mobilisation or religious propaganda of other faiths. By staging a pro-Palestinian demonstration within these grounds, the organisers demonstrated an explicit contempt for the sanctity of a Hindu religious site. Here, it may be said that the pro-Palestinian slogan can be considered anti-India and pro-Palestine, but not anti-Hindu. However, raising slogans such as hailing Palestine does not only show pro-Palestinian sentiments, but also anti-Hindu sentiments. It is pertinent to note that Muslim extremists harbour specific animosity towards Hindus and their faith and also view India as a Hindu collectivity. The very basis of the partition of India was that the Muslims believed that Islam was a nation unto itself, which could not survive with a Hindu collectivity like India. Further, this would also mean that slogans like Pakistan Zindabad or hailing Palestine are about hailing a Muslim collectivity and an expression of transnational loyalty and anti-Hindu sentiments. For that reason, any slogan which expresses transnational loyalty, faith in the Ummah, is automatically a slogan against Hindus and the Hindu collectivity. Bringing this ideological symbolism into a Hindu temple setting transforms the space from a sanctuary of prayer into a platform for Islamic political expression. Such a move is not ideologically neutral; it is a performative rejection of the Hindu cultural order that defines the temple’s existence. By selecting the day of Tiru Onam, Kerala’s principal Hindu festival, for this demonstration, the organisers sought to assert this rejection in a highly symbolic and provocative manner. This makes this incident a textbook case of "Defiling religious customs." By turning a temple complex into a venue for transnational Islamic agitation, the perpetrators demonstrated ideological aggression, echoing historical precedents of using religious spaces to subvert Hindu practices. It is for these reasons that this incident has been documented as a religiously motivated hate crime targeting Hindus. The hate element of this incident lies in its intentional disregard for the religious sensibilities of Hindus, whose practices centre on the sanctity of temple premises and the deity-specific traditions preserved over millennia. This desecration cannot be reduced to a mere political statement in support of Palestine; it represents a calculated intrusion into sacred Hindu space by individuals and organisations that openly oppose idol worship, thereby signalling hostility toward the faith itself. Furthermore, the co-opting of a temple setting for political slogans rooted in Islamic solidarity reinforces historic patterns of erasure and subjugation of Hindu religious traditions. Disclaimer: Reports indicate that more than 700 individuals participated in the demonstration. However, since the exact number is not mentioned, we have conservatively recorded the accused count as 700.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
female
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