Mata Kali Temple desecrating by Muslim man urinating at the entrance, stone-pelting and damaging temple structure

Case ID : f5a74a7 | Location : Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 10 December, 2023

Case ID : f5a74a7

Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

10 December, 2023

Mata Kali Temple desecrating by Muslim man urinating at the entrance, stone-pelting and damaging temple structure

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Attack on Temples

Case Summary

In Dehradun, Uttarakhand's capital, an incident of temple vandalism occurred on the night of December 11-12, 2023. The Mata Kali Temple in Harrawala, along the Dehradun-Haridwar Road, was targeted. CCTV footage revealed an individual with a substantial beard and a skull cap vandalizing the temple around 1:00 AM. The assailant first urinated at the temple gate and then threw stones, causing damage to the glass facade. Shortly after the act, the individual fled the scene. A case was registered in the Doiwala police station, and efforts were underway to identify the suspect based on CCTV evidence.

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, the Muslim man urinated and also vandalised the Hindu shrine. His action underscores the deep-rooted hatred towards Hinduism which drove the man to desecrate the temple unprovoked, driven by theological hostility towards non-Muslims, especially Hindus. Given that the fundamental motivation behind this incident is contempt for the Hindu religion, this instance has been added to the tracker under the following category.