Hindu temple properties worth Rs 10,000 crore encroached by officials and mafia groups in Tamil Nadu
Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, India 
26 February, 2021
Case Summary
Hindu temples in Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu, had properties worth approximately ten thousand crore rupees encroached upon, according to concerns raised by Radhakrishnan, trustee of the Thiruthondargal Trust, following an on-site inspection of lands and assets belonging to several temples in the district. He stated that the encroachment had been carried out by certain officials working in coordination with organised mafia groups, using what he described as systematic and modern methods to appropriate temple property. After personally inspecting temple lands and assets across Krishnagiri district, Radhakrishnan addressed reporters and said that specific officials, acting alongside organised groups, had been engaged in the exploitation of Hindu temple properties through structured and sustained encroachment. He stated that properties valued at nearly ten thousand crore rupees in Krishnagiri district alone required recovery. Describing the situation as deeply troubling, he emphasised that although administrative directions had previously been issued, effective and sustained action had not followed to resolve the encroachments. Radhakrishnan further stated that a high-level meeting chaired by the State Chief Secretary in 2021 had directed various departments to initiate corrective measures, and that the minutes of this meeting had been formally circulated to the relevant officials. The Chief Secretary had instructed that the issue be reviewed separately during every jamabandhi, the formal revenue review process. Despite these instructions, Radhakrishnan stated that the directives had not been implemented and that the encroachment of Hindu temple properties in Krishnagiri district remained unresolved, even after intervention at the highest levels of the state administration.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category for this case is "Attack on Hindu religious representations". The sub-category for this case is "Encroachment or illicit takeover of the temple land/land near temple". 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. Not only the Temple but the Temple premises in its entirety are considered sacred by Hindus. In several cases, the premises of the Temple and/or religious centre are illicitly taken over by institutions belonging to other faiths – like the Waqf board or the Church. Other times, the temple property, land or the property of religious centres are illicitly encroached by non-Hindu groups. Any illicit take over or encroachment is a crime an initio, however, when non-Hindu groups illicitly take over or encroach the sacred land of Hindus, it is an affront to the Hindu community and is therefore classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. Another sub-category for this case 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. One other sub-category that this case qualifies for 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. This case was categorised as a hate crime on the basis that Hindu temple properties worth approximately ten thousand crore rupees across multiple temples in Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu, had been illegally encroached upon through a systematic and organised operation involving certain officials acting in coordination with organised criminal groups. The scale of the encroachment, spanning numerous Hindu temples across an entire district and involving properties of immense value, reflected a coordinated and sustained assault on Hindu religious institutions and their assets. The continued failure of the administration to act despite directives issued at the highest levels of the state government further compounded the harm inflicted upon the temples and the Hindu communities that depended upon them. Hindu temples are not merely physical structures but living centres of worship, community life and religious identity. The properties that were encroached upon were not ordinary commercial assets; they were resources dedicated to sustaining religious practice, maintaining temple premises and supporting spiritual and cultural activities. The coordinated takeover of these assets by individuals acting in concert targeted the very foundation upon which these temples functioned. The encroachment was carried out through organised and methodical means, reflecting a calculated approach to the takeover of Hindu religious assets. The involvement of organised criminal groups in coordination with certain officials pointed to a premeditated operation directed specifically at temple lands and properties. The magnitude of the encroachment, affecting multiple temples across the district and involving assets valued at nearly ten thousand crore rupees, demonstrated that this was not an isolated or incidental occurrence. It was a structured and sustained operation aimed at appropriating the land and resources of Hindu religious institutions. The illegal encroachment directly undermined the ability of the affected temples to function as places of worship. Hindu temples rely upon their lands and assets to generate income necessary for daily operations, maintenance, the conduct of rituals and festivals, and the support of priests and staff. By depriving multiple temples of properties valued at nearly ten thousand crore rupees, the perpetrators severely restricted the financial foundation required for these religious institutions to operate effectively. The loss represented a profound deprivation of resources essential to the religious and cultural life of the Hindu community in the district. The failure of the administration to implement the directives issued by the State Chief Secretary in 2021, despite explicit instructions for corrective measures, reflected a sustained institutional lapse in safeguarding temple properties. A high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary had directed departments to take corrective action and required that the matter be reviewed during each jamabandhi, the formal revenue review process. Although these instructions were circulated to the relevant authorities, effective measures were not undertaken to address the encroachments. This prolonged inaction permitted the continued occupation of temple lands and contributed to the erosion of trust in the administrative protection of Hindu religious assets. The scale and systematic character of the encroachment reflected a coordinated assault on Hindu religious institutions within Krishnagiri district. The involvement of both officials and organised criminal groups indicated that the operation had been sustained over time and directed at multiple temples rather than a single isolated site. The combined value of the encroached properties, nearly ten thousand crore rupees, underscored the extent to which temple lands and assets had been targeted and removed from the control of Hindu religious institutions. The prolonged continuation of this encroachment, facilitated by administrative inaction, deepened the harm inflicted upon these religious establishments and the communities they served. As the case met the parameters of a religiously motivated hate crime, it was added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when a crime occurred, or a victim's ordeal began, rather than when the media reported it. In this case, the exact date on which the encroachment of Hindu temple properties in Krishnagiri district began is not confirmed in the sources. However, 2021 has been chosen as the indicative incident year as it is the year in which a high-level meeting chaired by the state Chief Secretary directed departments to initiate corrective steps to address the encroachment, confirming that the illegal occupation of Hindu temple properties was already well established and formally acknowledged by the state administration by this point. Since no specific date within 2021 was available in the sources, February 27 has been used as the placeholder date, corresponding to the approximate date of media reporting, which served as the only available date reference in this case. Therefore, February 27, 2021, has been recorded as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
