Unknown miscreants vandalise idol of Lord Hanuman in Haryana's Karnal, throw it into the adjoining pond

Case ID : ac55e51 | Location : Karnal, Haryana, India | Date of Incident : Fri, 13 October, 2023

Case ID : ac55e51

Karnal, Haryana, India

13 October, 2023

Unknown miscreants vandalise idol of Lord Hanuman in Haryana's Karnal, throw it into the adjoining pond

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Desecration of Hindu religious symbol

Case Summary

An idol of Lord Hanuman that had been placed in the Panchayat land in Shamgarh hamlet of Haryana’s Karnal was demolished in the night by mischievous individuals and the pieces were tossed into the adjoining pond. A local named Rajpal Babli said that he found that the diety’s idol was completely smashed and some of its pieces were missing after he arrived at the spot on the morning of 14 October. After that, the authorities were notified. The villagers present at the location mentioned that the land belonged to the Panchayat, but people of the other community have encroached on the place. The matter is presently underway in court. Villagers said that they placed the deity there for worship a while back because it is Panchayat property.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

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. 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 temples and would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime.