Police lathi charge Hindu devotees protesting against Muthyalamma temple vandalism in Secunderabad
Secunderabad, Telangana, India 
18 October, 2023
Case Summary
On October 14, an idol at the Muthyalamma temple in Hyderabad’s Kurmaguda region was vandalised by Salman Salim Thakur, who was detained by locals and handed over to the police. Hyderabad police also charged motivational speaker Munawar Zama from Mumbai and two others, Abdul Rasheed Basheer Ahmed and Rehman, the hotel manager and proprietor, with inciting hatred and motivating the vandalism during a personality development workshop. Thakur was one of 151 attendees of this workshop at the Metropolis Hotel in Regimental Bazaar. The protest over the desecration of the Muthyalamma temple idol in Hyderabad intensified on October 19 as large numbers of devotees gathered at the temple premises, demanding strict action against the accused. The protest, called by Hindu organisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, saw support from traders' organisations and locals who joined a state-wide bandh. The situation became tense as protestors held demonstrations at the temple site, chanting slogans and demanding justice. A significant police presence was deployed at the temple to maintain order, but as the crowd grew, some protestors reportedly threw stones, water bottles, and footwear. In response, the police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd, which escalated the situation further. Video footage from the site showed police officers using batons on protestors, many of whom were injured in the confrontation, with several reported to have sustained bruises and minor injuries. Some protestors attempted to storm the Metropolis Hotel, where the controversial workshop linked to the vandalism incident had taken place. The police blocked entry to the hotel, and a standoff ensued, with protestors expressing their anger over the lack of prompt action in the desecration case. Authorities eventually forced the crowd to retreat through repeated baton charges. BJP MLA Raja Singh condemned the lathi charge, stating that the police's use of force was excessive and unwarranted, as most protestors were peacefully demonstrating. Singh criticised the government’s response, accusing it of "appeasement politics" and suggesting that it was prioritising political sensitivities over the grievances of Hindu devotees.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the primary category 'restriction and/or ban on Hindu practices' under the sub-category 'administration disallows religious procession'. The tertiary category selected is 'rally for Hindu rights'. In several cases, it is seen that the administration/state disallows a religious procession owing to prejudicial orders and concerns, targeted specifically against the Hindu community. Such restriction/prohibition would be considered documented as a hate crime because the orders are often a result of pressure by groups that harbour animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. Often, the restriction by the authorities is driven by bias, hostility, or prejudice against the specific community being stopped from holding a religious procession, by pressure groups that harbour animosity towards Hindus, intrinsic to their faith. Since the religious procession is inherent to the faith of the Hindus, such prejudicial restriction is considered a curtailing of the fundamental rights of the Hindu community. In several cases, for example, the authorities ban a Hindu religious procession due to pressure from groups opposed to the religion. In other instances, the prohibition is selectively enforced against one religious group (Hindus) while others are allowed to proceed. There are still other cases where the authorities preemptively restrict a religious process by Hindus because those who hold animosity towards Hindus may get “provoked” leading to them being violent, thereby assuaging the sentiments of those who hold animosity towards Hindus by curtailing the religious rights of Hindus. Such acts and orders are prejudiced, indicating discriminatory motives owing to the capitulation to groups that harbour animosity towards Hindus and therefore, would be categorized as a religiously motivated hate crime since the original pressure leading to the order itself is a result of hatred/bias/prejudice/religious hate against Hindus. In this case, the distressed Hindu devotees were protesting demanding justice after a temple was vandalised and the idol was desecrated. It was, essentially, a rally for Hindu rights where Hindus were protesting for their rights peacefully. The police attacked the Hindus and lathe-charged them, displaying prejudice against the Hindu rally. For this reason, it is being added to the hate crime database.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
State and Establishment
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
