Hindu religious place defiled; Muslim man offers Namaz inside Temple
Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
8 June, 2023
Case Summary
Anwar Ali, a Muslim man from Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested by the police for offering Namaz at the Chandi Mandir on June 9, 2023. The arrest followed a complaint filed by the temple's secretary, Satnarain Agarwal. Eyewitnesses reported that Ali performed Namaz-like actions inside the temple, leading to charges under sections 295 and 298 of the Indian Penal Code. The temple committee and Hindu devotees objected to Ali's actions. They said that he resorted to verbal abuse and threats when he was stopped. When Ali was identified through CCTV footage he claimed he thought temples and mosques were places of worship. While the police launched an investigation into the matter, the temple committee purified the premises with Gangajal after the incident.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The case has been added to the tracker under the price category of- Attack on Hindu religious representations and under this, the sub-category selected 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. In this particular case, the Muslim man, instead of choosing to go to a mosque, offered Namaz inside a Hindu temple. The intent behind the action could only possibly be that of provoking Hindu worshippers and showing disrespect towards the Hindu faith. Since such callous behaviour can only stem from a profound contempt for the Hindu religion, this case deserves to be recorded in this hate tracker.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
