Ornaments stolen from goddess idol at Kali temple in Sikandarpur
Sikandarpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
17 June, 2025
Case Summary
In Sikandarpur town, Uttar Pradesh, the famous Kali Mata temple was looted by unidentified thieves. The thieves stole a nose ring (nathiya) and maang tikka (forehead ornament) from the idol of the goddess installed in the temple. The temple priest, Ritesh Kumar Mishra alias Golden Baba, stated that on Thursday morning, when he arrived at the temple to perform the daily rituals, he discovered that the nose ring and maang tikka offered to the goddess were missing. The incident was immediately reported to Dial 112 and the local police. Police officers arrived at the scene and inspected the site. CCTV footage from the cameras installed around the temple premises is currently being reviewed. At present, the police team is questioning suspects. Despite heightened night-time patrolling in Sikandarpur due to the Lakshman procession, the theft still occurred. Station House Officer (SHO) of Sikandarpur, Praveen Kumar Singh, stated that a forensic team has been called for investigation and inquiries are ongoing. Notably, this is not the first time the Kali temple has been targeted—the donation box was stolen in a previous incident as well.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This incident involving the looting of a Hindu temple could potentially be categorised as a religiously motivated crime against a Hindu institution. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack, vandalism, or loot against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is often born out of animosity towards the faith, of which the temple is a central tenet. Any sort of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. In many cases, it is noticed that non-Hindus, out of religious animosity, loot or attack Hindu temples. However, in this case, there is currently no explicit evidence suggesting religious motivation behind the crime; therefore, it is being classified under the "Undecided" database. If any further information emerges that points to this being a crime motivated by religious animosity, then it would be reclassified as a Hate Crime.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
