Hindu banners deliberately desecrated by miscreants ahead of Datta Jayanti celebrations in Karnataka
Chikmagalur, Karnataka, India 
1 December, 2025
Case Summary
In Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka, Hindu religious banners put up by Hindu organisations in preparation for the upcoming Datta Jayanti celebrations, a revered Hindu festival, were deliberately damaged by unknown miscreants. According to reports, the banners, many of them featuring images of Dattamaladharis in uniform, were put in various locations across the town. Dattamaladharis are those devotees who undertake the Dattamala ritual (vow/penance) in devotion to the Hindu deity Lord Dattatreya. Several of these banners, placed in front of the Urdu School on I.G. Road, were deliberately slashed using a blade. As per reports, the area is considered one of the most sensitive localities in Chikkamagaluru, and the act immediately raised suspicions of a deliberate attempt to provoke religious sentiments. Hindu community leaders and activists believed the act was intended to provoke communal tensions and disrupt the peaceful atmosphere ahead of the Hindu religious event, which was scheduled to take place between 2nd and 4th December 2025. The damage to the banners caused anxiety among local Hindus, leading to large crowds gathering at the scene. The Chikkamagaluru Town Police swiftly responded to the situation, ensuring that tensions did not escalate further. Officers emphasised their commitment to maintaining communal harmony, particularly during the Datta Jayanti period, which has historically been a sensitive time in the area. In response to the incident, police registered a suo motu case and began reviewing CCTV footage from the area to identify those responsible. They formed multiple teams to track down the culprits. The timing of the incident, just before the major religious celebrations, raised concerns about maintaining law and order. Hindu residents called for stricter action against those attempting to disturb the peace and urged authorities to increase security during the upcoming festivities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category selected in this case is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory 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 a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. This incident is a clear example of a religiously motivated crime since the perpetrators targeted Hindu religious banners just ahead of a revered Hindu festival, Datta Jayanti. This festival celebrates the birth of Lord Dattatreya, the divine incarnation embodying the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, revered for granting wisdom, removing obstacles, and fostering spiritual enlightenment through rituals, fasting, and devotion on the full moon of Margashirsha. The religious banners erected ahead of these 2–4 December 2025 celebrations prominently featured Dattamaladharis—devout Hindus undertaking the sacred Dattamala vow of penance to honour Lord Dattatreya—symbolising unwavering commitment to the Hindu faith, festivals, and community pride. Desecrating such sacred symbols of Hinduism and the Hindu community by slashing them with blades reveals deep-seated religious animosity, as these banners represented living devotion and cultural heritage central to Hindu identity. This vandalism occurred right before Datta Jayanti, proving the perpetrators aimed to sow anxiety and fear among local Hindus, shattering their joy ahead of sacred celebrations filled with puja, processions, and religious harmony. By striking at these banners, they sought to create disturbances during the revered Hindu festival, targeting devotees' faith to intimidate and suppress Hindu religious expression, marking this as a blatant anti-Hindu hate crime. The Urdu School area on I.G. Road has long remained a sensitive hotspot where Hindu devotees and the community endured repeated intimidation, fostering constant fear during religious events. This pattern of hostility underscores religiously motivated aggression against Hindus, transforming routine acts of vandalism into calculated assaults on their right to practise faith freely. Even though the perpetrators in this case remain unknown, slashing Hindu religious banners dedicated to Datta Jayanti constitutes a clear instance of an anti-Hindu hate crime driven by religious animosity. Henceforth, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when a crime occurs rather than when it gets reported by the media. It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the vandalism occurred. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date of the incident based on when the incident was reported in the media, 01 December 2025.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
