Temple vandalised, idols of deities desecrated and meat thrown in Fatehpur
Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
11 May, 2025
Case Summary
In Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, an ancient Shiva temple was vandalised, Murtis were desecrated, and meat was thrown inside the temple. Police, however, denied a communal angle. The incident occurred at night. Upon receiving information about the incident, members of various Hindu organisations gathered at the temple site. They submitted a formal complaint to the Kotwali police, urging prompt action against those responsible. Local people also reported that, just two days ago prior to the incident, the iron doors in the temple were stolen. The locality, which comprises a mixed population, witnessed heightened tension following the discovery of the damage. Kotwali in-charge Tarkeshwar Rai arrived at the scene to investigate. He claimed that the temple lacks a gate and is already in a dilapidated condition, with no regular maintenance or caretaker. He further said that stray animals frequently enter the premises, and no conclusive evidence has yet been found to suggest deliberate vandalism. Meanwhile, Bajrang Dal’s state secretary, Virendra Pandey, strongly reacted to the incident and warned of an intense agitation if those behind the act are not identified and action is not taken. He also criticised the authorities for negligence in ensuring the security of religious sites.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker un the primary category of - Attack on Hindu religious representations. The 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. The other sub-category selected 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 third sub-category selected 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. In this incident, a Hindu temple was damaged, idols were desecrated, and meat was found inside the premises. For Hindus, a temple is a sacred place deeply connected to their religious life. So when such a space is violated, it’s not just seen as physical damage, but as something that directly affects their faith. Throwing meat into a temple goes against long-standing customs in Sanatan Dharma. There’s a strong tradition of maintaining purity within temple grounds, and avoiding meat is a key part of that. It is a rule that has been respected for generations. Despite understanding that introducing meat into these spaces is considered a violation of their sacredness, the perpetrator desecrated the premises by throwing meat inside the temple premises. As for the murtis, in Hindu belief, they represent divine presence. Damaging them doesn’t just upset people; it is an attack on the sacred. Such an act reflects a profound disregard for the faith and its practices, stemming from underlying animosity toward Hinduism. This incident exemplifies an intentional effort to insult religious sentiments, warranting its inclusion as a serious offence motivated by hatred. It is important to mention here that though the last update was that the miscreants were unknown, regardless, the action stemmed out of hatred against Hinduism and resulted in the desecration of the sacred temple and would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. Further, despite the vandalism, the police have denied the communal angle to the crime and gave the reason that the temple was in a neglected condition and a lack of proper security. Even if we accept these statements made by the police, it does not explain the targeted desecration of religious symbols and the violation of sacred space by throwing meat. Only a police statement cannot be enough to determine whether there is a communal angle present in the crime that has been committed. In fact, to determine whether the crime is communal in nature or not, we need to give emphasis to the ground realities. The police, in many such cases, where the motive behind the crime is obvious but not explicitly mentioned, deny that the crime committed was in any way motivated by a religious bias or say that there was ‘no communal angle’ to the crime. Several factors are generally at play here. 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 there was ‘no communal angle’ to a crime when there was one, because they wish to ensure that, owing to the crime already committed, there is no further flare-up in the area. Likewise, the Left media and the leftist elite are also inclined to emphasise this "no communal angle" trope, especially wherever the victim of the crime is a Hindu. However, only a police statement or a media report, for instance, cannot be enough to determine whether there is a communal angle present in the crime that has been committed. In fact, to determine whether the crime is communal in nature or not, we need to give emphasis to the ground realities. For example, in the case of Rinku Sharma, the Bajrang Dal activist who was mercilessly stabbed in his house in front of his family members in Delhi’s Mangolpuri area in the year 2021, the leftist media and the leftist ecosystem had tried to peddle that there was no communal angle to the crime. Even the police denied that the crime was communal in nature. However, Opindia spoke to several people who are on the ground with the family of Rinku Sharma, and we were told that the communal tension in the area is palpable. The family of Rinku Sharma has said that the Muslims of the area held a grudge against Rinku ever since he celebrated the Ram Mandir verdict Like the case of Rinku Sharma, those cases where even if the police have denied a communal angle or the leftist media have gone on an overdrive to peddle the ‘no communal angle’ trope, the ground reality, like the victim’s family or relative's testimonies, make it clear that there was an obvious religious bias that led to the crime, will be documented in this tracker. Going by the same logic, since the local residents testified that the temple was vandalised, murtis were desecrated, and meat was thrown, this case has been included in the hate tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
