Sacred Hindu idol vandalised and stolen from ancient Shiva temple by Muslim man in Aligarh
Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India 
6 March, 2026
Case Summary
The Radha Krishna idol at the Mahadev Mandir in the Kodiyaganj area of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, was vandalised and broken by a Muslim youth, who later stole the idol from the temple. The perpetrator was arrested by police who arrived at the scene shortly after receiving information about the incident. A case was registered against the perpetrator under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). According to reports, the Muslim youth entered the Mahadev Mandir located in the Kodiyaganj area under the jurisdiction of Akarabad Police Station in Aligarh and proceeded to vandalise and break the Radha Krishna idol installed within the temple. After damaging the idol, the perpetrator attempted to steal it from the temple premises. Local residents became aware of the incident and immediately informed Akarabad Police Station, following which police arrived at the scene and began their investigation. During the course of the investigation, the Muslim youth was identified and arrested. Police initiated a review of CCTV footage from within the temple to obtain a complete understanding of the incident and to identify any associates or additional individuals who may have assisted the perpetrator. The Bharatiya Janata Party Morcha district president filed a complaint at the police station demanding strict action against the perpetrator and stated that the administration must exercise greater vigilance for the protection of religious sites. Local community members praised the swift police response. Temple priests and devotees in the vicinity expressed the need for increased security at the temple and stated that they were hopeful that those responsible would be punished. Police warned that no attempt at theft or vandalism at any religious site would be tolerated, and surveillance around temples and places of worship in the area was increased following the incident. Aligarh Police confirmed that the investigation was ongoing and that a case had been registered against the perpetrator under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category for this case is "Attack on Hindu religious representations". The sub-category for this case 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. One other sub-category 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. This case qualified as a hate crime on the basis that a Muslim youth deliberately entered the Mahadev Mandir in the Kodiyaganj area of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh and carried out a targeted act of vandalism against the Radha Krishna idol installed within the temple, breaking the sacred idol and attempting to steal it from the temple premises. The deliberate and targeted nature of the act, which involved entering a Hindu place of worship specifically to vandalise and steal a sacred Hindu idol, reflected a conscious and premeditated decision to target a Hindu religious site and its most sacred contents. The swift arrest of the perpetrator and the registration of a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita confirmed the criminal and targeted nature of the act directed against the Hindu temple and its sacred religious representations. The deliberate breaking and attempted theft of the Radha Krishna idol within the Mahadev Mandir constituted a direct and targeted desecration of one of the most sacred Hindu religious symbols. The Radha Krishna idol was not merely a decorative object but a sacred representation of Hindu deities that served as the central focus of worship and devotion for the temple’s Hindu devotees. The perpetrator’s decision to specifically target the Radha Krishna idol for vandalism and theft reflected a conscious and deliberate choice to attack the most sacred and spiritually significant object within the Hindu temple, constituting a direct and targeted desecration of a Hindu religious symbol that held profound spiritual meaning for the Hindu community. The physical breaking of the idol represented not merely property damage but a deliberate assault on the spiritual heart of the Hindu temple and the devotional practices of its Hindu worshippers. The perpetrator’s act of entering the Mahadev Mandir and physically breaking the Radha Krishna idol constituted a direct act of violence against a Hindu religious structure and centre of worship. The Mahadev Mandir was not merely a building but a sacred centre of Hindu religious life for the local Hindu community of the Kodiyaganj area, serving as a space of daily worship, devotion, and spiritual sustenance for Hindu devotees. The deliberate act of violence carried out within the temple premises, involving the physical destruction of the sacred Radha Krishna idol, represented a direct and targeted attack on the sanctity and integrity of the Hindu religious structure as a centre of worship and community life. The perpetrator’s willingness to enter a Hindu temple and carry out a deliberate act of physical destruction within its sacred precincts reflected a profound disregard for the sanctity of Hindu religious structures and a conscious intent to violate the sacred space of the Hindu community. The perpetrator’s act also constituted a direct and targeted desecration of the religious customs and sacred practices associated with the Hindu temple. The Radha Krishna idol served as the central object of worship and devotion within the Mahadev Mandir, with the daily puja, aarti, and other religious rituals conducted by the temple’s priests and devotees centred around the sacred idol. The deliberate destruction and stealing of this sacred idol by the perpetrator directly disrupted and desecrated the religious customs and devotional practices of the Hindu temple community, violating the sanctity of the daily worship rituals and creating a profound sense of spiritual desecration among the Hindu devotees who relied on the temple and its sacred idol as the centre of their religious life. The desecration of the religious customs of the Mahadev Mandir through the deliberate destruction of its most sacred idol reflected a targeted and conscious assault on the spiritual and devotional life of the Hindu community of the Kodiyaganj area. Given that this 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 Muslim youth entered the Mahadev Mandir and vandalised the Radha Krishna idol is not confirmed in the sources. The article was published on March 7, 2026. Therefore, March 7, 2026, has been chosen as the indicative incident date. This date has been recorded for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
