Beef found in Hanuman Temple of Bihar’s Aurangabad district
Aurangabad, Bihar, India 
21 July, 2023
Case Summary
On July 22, 2023, an attempt to disrupt social harmony and provoke communal tensions occurred in Aurangabad district, Bihar. Beef was found inside the Hanuman Temple in Balabigha's Haspura area, upsetting the Hindu community. Local residents promptly informed the authorities, leading the police to investigate the matter and sanitise the temple. Concerned about maintaining peace, heavy police presence was established outside the temple as a precautionary measure. Authorities suspect anti-social elements orchestrated the incident to sow discord in the community. Police engaged in discussions with locals to restore calm and decided to review nearby CCTV footage to identify the culprits. While investigations continued and suspects remained at large, police continued to patrol the area to prevent further tension and ensure public safety.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
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. In this case, despite understanding that Hindu temples are centres of worship and sanctity and introducing meat into these spaces is considered a violation of their sacredness, the perpetrator desecrated the premises by hanging raw beef bags on the door of the temples. It is important to mention here that though the last update was that the miscreants were unknown, regardless, the action stemmed out of hatred against Hinduism and resulted in the desecration of the sacred temple and would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
