Shiva temple vandalised by Muslim mob, idol desecrated
Begusarai, Bihar, India 
22 September, 2023
Case Summary
In Begusarai, Bihar, protests broke out on September 23 over the vandalism of Shivling and a Hindu temple by hooligans belonging to the Muslim community. Angry protesters blocked roads, disrupted traffic, and hurled stones at the police in protest against the vandalism. Residents said that members of the Muslim community gathered in the temple to consume alcohol. They further contaminate the sacred premises by consuming non-vegetarian food near the religious site and disposing of the remains in the vicinity. The incident led to a furious mob blocking NH-31 for hours and causing vandalism in several dozen shops in the vicinity. When the police attempted to control the situation at the scene, the troublemakers pelted stones at the police. Subsequently, the police identified 30 individuals based on the footage from CCTV cameras at the location and took action, arresting 12 people including Javed, the main suspect in the case of vandalizing a Shiva temple in Begusarai, Bihar.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
According to the case details, 'attack on temples', 'desecration of Hindu religious symbols' and 'breaking rules of place of worship' are the three sub-categories under the core category 'attack on Hindu religious symbols' under which this case has been listed. The first relevant sub-category in 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. The second relevant sub-category is 'Desecration of Hindu religious symbols'. 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. The third sub-category, as per the case details, relevant here 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 case, the Muslim perpetrators vandalised a Shivling kept inside the Hindu temple. They also consumed alcohol and non vegetarian food near the premises. Knowing that consuming alcohol and eating non-vegetarian food inside a temple is considered a serious act of desecration in Hinduism as it violates the sanctity of the sacred space, disrespects the deity and the sentiments of devotees, and goes against the cultural and religious norms upheld within the temple, the accused indulged in the same. There could be no other reason than an inherent animosity against Hinduism that led them to commit the offence. Since disrespect for the Hindu religion is the primary purpose behind this incident, this case has been added to the tracker under the following category.
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
