Muslim men wash feet and offer Namaz in Ram Temple despite priest's objection
Shajapur, Madhya Pradesh, India 
25 October, 2024
Case Summary
In Shajapur district, Madhya Pradesh, on October 26, 2024, three elderly Muslim men, Rustam (65), Akbar (85), and Babu Khan (70), offered Namaz within a Ram temple. The incident occurred in Kiloda village under the Salaslai police jurisdiction. The men reportedly washed their hands and feet using water from a pot reserved for temple rituals before proceeding to sit in the temple premises and offer their prayers. According to the temple priest, Omprakash Sharma, he confronted the men and requested they stop, but they continued praying and remained there for around 20 minutes before leaving. The three brothers were returning home after conducting business at a local bank when they stopped at the temple for their prayers. The police detained them based on a complaint filed by the priest, who, alongside local Hindu residents, argued that the act was offensive to their religious sentiments and called for strict action. The police promptly filed an FIR and detained the men, who later admitted their actions, citing that it was time for Namaz and they chose to pray in the temple courtyard due to convenience. Since the offense involves a sentence of less than seven years, the men were released after being issued a notice. The incident heightened tensions in Kiloda, with local Hindu residents pressing for a more severe response to what they see as a deliberate provocation. Law enforcement assured the community as the case proceeded to court.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the primary category 'attack on Hindu religious symbols' under two specific sub-categories. The first sub-category 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 second sub-category 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 third sub-category 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. In this case, the two Muslims used the water meant for rituals in the Temple to wash their feet and performed Namaz inside the Temple premises despite the protests from the priest. In doing so, the Muslims deliberately desecrated the temple, the religious symbols in the temple and broke the rules of the place of worship of Hindus. Any attack on the rituals, symbols and place of worship stems from inherent religious animosity and therefore the case is being added in the hate crime database.
Case Status
Perpatrator released by Police
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
