16 Hindu temples attacked, sacred idols desecrated by Muslims in Darrang, Assam
Darrang, Assam, India 
20 January, 2026
Case Summary
In the Darrang district of Assam, 16 Hindu temples were attacked, and sacred idols inside it were desecrated by Muslims on 21 January 2026. According to reports, temples located in areas around Mangaldoi were vandalised, and the idols were beheaded. Most of the temples were dedicated to Goddess Kali. The temples were located in the Moamari, Gerimari and Gosaigaon areas near Mangaldoi town. Some of the temples targeted were Gerimari Okhabheti Malou Chuba Shiv Temple, Bihari Basti Kali Mandir, South Bihari Basti Kali Mandir, Na-Nadi Manasa Mandir, 235 No. Lower Primary School Kali Mandir, Na-Nadi West Kali Mandir, Moamari Okhabheti Shiv Mandir, Moamari Shiv Mandir, Gerimari Bhutnath Kali Mandir, Chereng Kali Mandir, among others. Muslims broke into the temples and beheaded the idols. Other than beheading the idols, other religious items kept in the temples were also vandalised. All the idols in the village temples were made of clay, making it easier to demolish them. The desecration was discovered on 22 January 2026 morning when the priests and local devotees reached the temples for morning rituals. The incident caused sharp tension in the area, and the police were immediately informed. Police teams, including senior officials, reached the locations and convinced the people to maintain peace. Locals stated that illegal immigrants displaced by ongoing eviction drives were behind the attacks. The police intensified the investigation, and five Muslim accused were arrested on 25 January 2026. They were identified as Mahir Ali, Shamsul Ali, Mokshed Ali, Jahinur Ali, and Nurzamal Ali. It was suspected that more people were involved in the vandalism, as 16 temples located in various places were attacked in a short span of time. The accused were presented before a court after their arrest and were questioned by the police. Local Hindu residents also suspected that it was done as per a planned conspiracy, and urged the police to investigate the call records of the arrested accused, as they might have maintained phone communication during the attack. Police said that technical analysis in relation to the crime would be done. A police officer also said that prima facie the attacks were done as per a well-planned conspiracy, because the temples were located in remote villages and were not known to outsiders.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory selected 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 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 religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. In this case, the attacks on sixteen Hindu temples by Muslims in the Darrang district of Assam constitute a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime. For the Hindu community, a temple is far more than a physical structure; it is a revered institution and the earthly abode of the deity. These spaces serve as the vital heart of community gathering and collective worship, holding immense spiritual and cultural significance. Any attack on such a site is a direct assault on the faith itself. By targeting sixteen Hindu temples and specifically beheading sacred idols, particularly those of Goddess Kali, the perpetrators demonstrated a deliberate intent to desecrate what is most holy and to inflict profound emotional and religious trauma upon the Hindu community. The significance of Hindu temple idols (murtis) lies at the heart of this violation. For devotees, these consecrated idols embody the living presence of the divine, serving as vital mediums for worship and rituals. Beheading such sacred figures constitutes extreme desecration, intended to inflict maximum offence and incite communal outrage. Additionally, the destruction of other sacred materials and temple property deprives the community of its worship resources. When religious symbols and items face such targeted violence, it qualifies as a hate crime, aimed at humiliating Hindu practitioners and wounding their deepest spiritual sentiments. The fact that these attacks were not isolated to a single location but were carried out across sixteen different temples highlights a well-calculated and premeditated motive. This scale of destruction confirms that the incidents were not random occurrences but a structured attempt to harm the Hindu community and degrade its sacred spaces of worship. The systematic nature of these crimes across the Darrang district underscores a clear intent to intimidate and marginalise a specific religious group, Hindus, through coordinated violence. Such attacks and the desecration of Hindu temples and their idols by Muslims are driven by an underlying doctrinal animosity towards Hinduism. In the Islamic faith, worship of any idol is viewed as a grave sin, and Muslim extremists frequently exploit this doctrinal stance to justify the targeted destruction of sacred religious sites and symbols belonging to non-Muslims. In this instance, the coordinated assault on Hindu temples and the beheading of idols of Hindu deities follow this specific pattern of religiously motivated aggression. This case aligns with a historical and global pattern of attacks fueled by doctrinal intolerance, further confirming its classification as a hate crime. Since this case meets the established parameters of a religiously motivated offence, it has been documented in the Hate Crime Database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
