Hindu temple land encroached by Muslims, Hindu locals prevented for celebrating 200-year-old festival
Ramgarh, Jharkhand, India 
14 May, 2025
Case Summary
In the Kundru Kalan village, Jharkhand, land belonging to a Hindu temple named Shivalaya Mandir was encroached upon by members of the Muslim community for illegal construction. This led to concerns among Hindus regarding the celebration of a tribal Hindu festival, which had been celebrated in the temple land for the past 200 years. According to news reports, the temple’s land, with account number 58 and plot number 524, covers a total area of 1.06 acres. A house was constructed on approximately 10 decimals (0.10 acres), which was later vacated due to administrative intervention, leaving the remaining 96 decimals (0.96 acres) unoccupied. Members of the Muslim community tried to occupy the remaining land by carrying out illegal construction activities. Members of Hindu organisations, along with the local Hindu villagers, wrote a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Ramgarh, Chandan Kumar, and other relevant officials, demanding appropriate action. Deepak Mishra of the Hindu Raksha Dal, in a press release to the media, cited the villagers’ letter and stated that members of the Muslim community were attempting to illegally encroach upon temple land and carry out unauthorised construction. The villagers’ letter named the encroachers: Haroon Warsi, Samasul Haq, Asibul Ansari, Ziyaul Ansari, and Sakir Ansari. The villagers appealed for the temple land to be freed by taking suitable action against those accused. Deepak Mishra further stated that the illegal construction was being carried out with the intention of disturbing peace, which could create resentment among the local Hindu population. He warned that, if timely and appropriate action is not taken, there could be a communal dispute between the Hindu and Muslim communities, for which the administration would be held responsible. For the past 200 years, the local tribal Hindus had celebrated the Manda Puja festival on this land, following traditional Hindu rituals. The Hindu Raksha Dal declared that, if the administration remained a silent spectator, it would mobilise all Hindu organisations to gather in large numbers at the temple site to protect it from illegal encroachment. They also stated that if the law and order deteriorate, then the responsibility would lie with the administration.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under two prime categories. The first is- Attack on Hindu religious representations, and under this, the sub-category selected is- Encroachment or illicit takeover of temple land/ land near temple. 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. Not only the Temple but the Temple premises in its entirety are considered sacred by Hindus. In several cases, the premises of the Temple and/or religious centre are illicitly taken over by institutions belonging to other faiths – like the Waqf board or the Church. Other times, the temple property, land or the property of religious centres are illicitly encroached by non-Hindu groups. Any illicit take over or encroachment is a crime an initio, however, when non-Hindu groups illicitly take over or encroach the sacred land of Hindus, it is an affront to the Hindu community and is therefore classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The category selected here is- Restriction/ban on Hindu practices. Within this, the sub-category under which the case has been placed is- Restriction on expression of Hindu identity. An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. The encroachment on the land near the Hindu temple, orchestrated by a group of Muslim men, and obstructing and hindering the celebration of the age-old Hindu festival, are both examples of hate crimes motivated by religious bias. This act of encroachment not only involved the illegal occupation of temple land but also constituted a direct attack on the Hindu community’s ability to worship and express their religious identity freely. According to the Hindu faith, temples are revered as sacred shrines where the deity resides, and both the temple and its surrounding area are held in the highest regard. When members of a particular community seek to assert dominance by disrupting sacred spaces and traditions of another faith group, it constitutes a hate crime, intended not only to provoke but to marginalise and suppress. By their actions, the Muslim perpetrators effectively harmed and restricted the expression of Hindu beliefs and practices, depriving Hindus of their right to access and worship at their temples. Therefore, this incident reflects a broader pattern of hostility towards Hindu religious spaces and practices. Such hindrances reveal a deep-seated animosity towards Hinduism, as they directly interfere with the freedom of Hindus to practise their religion and maintain their religious identity. Consequently, this act qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime, driven by an intent to provoke and harass Hindus through the restriction of their religious rights and encroachment of their temple lands. Therefore, this case has been categorised under the hate crime database.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
