Hindu sentiments outraged as Sikh man desecrates banners depicting Hindu deities in Amritsar
Amritsar, Punjab, India 
18 January, 2026
Case Summary
In Amritsar, Punjab, banners depicting Hindu deities were desecrated by a Sikh man named Harjeet Singh alias Guddu. The accused spat on the banners and also kicked them, showcasing his disrespect. According to reports, the incident occurred in Ganda Wali Gali in the Nanak Mandi area of Amritsar. A video of the entire incident went viral on social media. In the video, the accused man not only kicked the banners but also spat on them. After the video went viral, a young man went looking for the accused, reached his home, and thrashed him, prompting him to apologise. Hindu leaders demanded strict action against the Sikh accused. They warned the police not to trivialise the matter by labelling him mentally ill. Meanwhile, Amritsar police registered a case against the accused for hurting religious sentiments and arrested him. The 52-second video showed the Sikh man wearing a jacket and a turban standing in the backyard of a house. The video was recorded from a nearby rooftop. He picked up a broom and then stood on a fallen banner depicting a Hindu deity, wearing his shoes. He kicked it and then wiped the bottom of his shoes. He then came to another banner depicting a Hindu goddess. He kicked it with his shoes as well. He then picked up another banner, glancing towards the location where his video was being filmed. He then kicked the banner depicting the Hindu goddess and spat on it. Along with this, another approximately two-minute video surfaced online. In it, a young man named Naman Kapoor, the general secretary of the District Congress Committee, stood near the accused. Naman said that a video was going viral in which the Sikh man is seen desecrating images of Hindu deities. Following this, Naman slapped the accused, and the accused apologised for his actions. Naman Kapoor said that such people incite conflict between all religions. In this case, Sachin Mahira, President of All India Hindu Sangharsh Committee, told the police in his statement that on the evening of 19 January 2026, he saw a video on social media in which a person placed pictures of Hindu deities on the ground, stepped on them, and performed derogatory acts. He further said that this incident sparked widespread anger within the Hindu community, as images of deities are central to religious beliefs, and insulting them deeply hurt religious sentiments. Shaminder Singh, Station House Officer of Amritsar's B Division police station, said, "We received a complaint regarding religious sacrilege. Police registered a case based on the complaint. The accused was produced in court and taken on remand to determine why he acted in this manner."
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The 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. This case demonstrates a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime as the Sikh perpetrator desecrated several banners of Hindu deities by spitting on them and kicking them. Hindu deities hold profound significance as eternal manifestations of the divine, embodying core principles like dharma, protection, knowledge, and cosmic order in Hinduism, worshipped by over a billion adherents worldwide. Images, banners, pictures, or posters bearing these deities, whether of Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Goddess Durga, or others, serve as sacred focal points for devotion, rituals, and community identity, treated with utmost reverence in homes, temples, and public spaces. Any desecration of such representations wounds the collective faith of ordinary Hindu devotees, symbolising an attack on their religious and cultural identity, which amplifies the gravity of this Amritsar incident as targeted religious hatred. The deliberate targeting of multiple sacred Hindu banners by the accused showcases premeditated animosity rather than a spontaneous lapse. The accused stamps on several banners with shoes, an egregious violation given Hinduism's strict prohibition on footwear near sacred items, kicks them repeatedly across different deity depictions, and spits on them, actions symbolising ritual impurity and profound contempt. Such patterned behaviour across multiple targets indicates intent to degrade Hindu symbols systematically, far exceeding a one-off mistake, and aims to instil fear and humiliation within the Hindu community. The culmination of spitting, a visceral act of revulsion in religious contexts, combined with glancing towards the filming location mid-act, further evidences calculated malice to publicise the outrage. By assaulting emblems central to Hindu faith in this degrading manner, the accused intended to assert dominance over the Hindu community. This act overall maximised the deliberate hurt inflicted upon ordinary adherents of the Hindu faith. Given that this incident meets the parameters of a religiously motivated crime, it is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when the crime occurs, rather than when the media reports it. In this case, media reports do not state the exact date when the crime occurred. They only mention the date when Hindu activist Sachin Mahira saw the viral video of the accused desecrating posters of Hindu deities, 19 January 2026. Hence, this date serves as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Case sub-judice
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Sikh Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
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