Ancient Hindu temples and their properties have long been targets of attack, often driven by extremists from other minority groups, particularly Muslims, or by individuals influenced by ideologies aimed at dismantling the historical and cultural significance of these temples in favor of promoting a concept of ‘Khalifate’ in democratic societies. While law enforcement has intervened and culprits have been arrested, a troubling pattern emerges where these incidents are frequently dismissed as the actions of individuals deemed “mentally unstable.” This raises concerns about the frequency and severity of such attacks.
Below are several cases where police have labeled the perpetrators who attacked temple premises or properties as “mentally unstable.”
1. On 4 January 2025, Tenkasi police arrested 31-year-old Anantha Balan from Kaezhaiyapillaiyoor after he allegedly poured petrol outside the Sri Kasi Viswanathar Temple entrance and set it on fire. The incident occurred around 8 a.m., when Balan poured approximately 10 liters of petrol onto the granite floor before igniting it. The police arrested him and suggested that he may have been experiencing mental health issues.
2. On 7 February 2024, a man named Deenadayalan, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, intentionally set fire at the entrance of the Kapaleeswarar Temple in Mylapore, Chennai. The suspect poured petrol on the ground and ignited it, causing a fire. The incident, which occurred around 1 a.m., was captured on CCTV, and local police used the footage to track down the perpetrator. The suspect managed to flee before authorities arrived. Initially the police downplayed the incident stating the suspect may have been mentally unstable.
3. In June 2024, 41-year-old Muslim man M Muhamed Ayaz was arrested for allegedly dumping meat waste in the parking lot of the Koniyamman temple on Raja Street, Coimbatore, stoking communal tensions. Ayaz, from Podanur, was charged under Sections 153A, 504, and 290 of the IPC. Police reported that Ayaz took chicken and mutton waste from his brother’s meat shop and disposed of it at the temple around 9:30 AM on 1 June 2024. Ayaz was arrested on 5 June and remanded to judicial custody the next day. Investigations revealed Ayaz had done similar acts in the past, raising concerns about his intentions.
4. On the night of 26 August 2024, during Krishna Janmashtami, protests broke out in Hyderabad, Telangana, after a goddess idol at the Bhoolaxmi Temple in Rakshapuram was vandalized. The attack, which occurred around 11:30 PM, sparked outrage among locals who believed it was an attempt to disturb communal harmony ahead of the Ganesh festival. Hindu groups, including VHP and other Hindutva organizations, gathered at the temple, chanting bhajans and blocking Rakshapuram Road while demanding swift action. The temple has faced similar attacks in the past five years, with four previous FIRs filed for vandalism. In a surprising turn, a local Muslim leader handed over two suspects to the police, claiming one was mentally unstable.
5. On the morning of 14 October 2024, unrest erupted in Secunderabad, Telangana, following an incident of temple vandalism at the Muthyalamma temple in Kummariguda. Around 4:35 AM, a man allegedly entered the temple and damaged the idol of Goddess Durga. The vandalism was noticed by a local resident who raised an alarm, prompting nearby locals to apprehend the suspect. The accused, identified as 30-year-old Salman Salim Thakur, a computer engineer, was reportedly a follower of Zakir Naik and other hardline Islamists. He was also involved in similar incidents in Mumbai in 2022. After being caught by the crowd, he was beaten and handed over to the police, later being taken to the hospital in critical condition. The media claimed the islamist as mentally unstable person.
5. On 22 April 2023, a Muslim youth, identified as Mohammed Moiuddin, caused a disturbance in Hindu temples in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He entered the Hanuman Temple at Kalyani Chowk while wearing shoes and stood in front of the idol with his pyjamas open. When the priest attempted to intervene, Moiuddin assaulted him. Afterward, he moved to another nearby temple, where he stood in front of a Goddess idol in the same manner. He then proceeded to another temple, where he urinated. The priest, alarmed by his actions, began shouting for help, attracting a crowd. Witnesses reported that the assailant was also shouting Islamic slogans during the incident. Despite the nature of the act, the police described Moiuddin as mentally unstable. They stated that medical certificates from his family had been submitted, affirming his condition.
6. On 22 May 2023, Saravanabharathi, a 32-year-old man from Savakkatupalayam near Avinasi in Tirupur district, vandalized Nayanmar idols at the Avinashi Lingeshwarar Temple. The incident reportedly began as an attempted theft, but when the accused could not find any valuables inside the temple, he became enraged and damaged the idols. Local police later stated that the man was mentally challenged, which was severely criticized by the activists and netizens as an attempt to downplay the act.
7. On 8 August 2023, a man named Bhupathi deliberately vandalized the statues of Lord Murugan, Valli, and Deivanai at the renowned Thandayuthapani Swamy Hill Temple in Chettikulam village, Alathur taluka, Perambalur district. Locals caught him in the act and initially restrained him by tying him to a pillar. While the police initially suggested that Bhupathi was mentally ill, he was later presented before the Perambalur Criminal Justice Divisional Judge and subsequently remanded to Trichy Central Jail.
8. On 29 September 2023, a Muslim man named Javed launched a violent attack on devotees at the historic Baba Bodheshwar Mahadev temple in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. Armed with a lathi, he stormed the temple during the Bhadrapad Purnima festival, injuring eight worshippers who were praying at the revered Shivling. Among the wounded were Milan Singh, Kailash Singh, and retired revenue officer Krishna Kumar Tiwari. Following the incident, reports indicated that Javed, the attacker, was undergoing treatment for mental health issues. Javed entered a mandir in unnao and suddenly attacked the devotees with lathi in a lonewolf type terror attack; Atleast 6 hindu devotees injured.
9. On 1 December 2023, the Mahakal police in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, apprehended 60-year-old Latif Khan for urinating on Hindu temples at Ramghat in Ujjain. Khan, a retired sanitation worker from the Ujjain Municipality, was charged under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code and brought before a court, where he was subsequently remanded to jail. According to the police, he appeared to be “mentally unstable” during the initial questioning.
10. On 3 April 2022, Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, an IIT graduate, attacked police personnel outside Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur. He injured two officers with a sharp weapon. Despite his educational background, Abbasi’s family claimed he was mentally unstable, although doctors contradicted this assertion. The attack occurred just before Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was scheduled to visit the temple.
11. On the night of 27 September 2022, a man named Rameez Ahmed was caught after vandalizing a Hanuman temple in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Rameez broke the temple’s lock and damaged the idol of Bajrang Bali. Police labeled him as a “mental patient,” but local residents expressed doubts about this claim, questioning why someone with a supposed mental condition would specifically target the idol.
12. On 27 September 2022, two Muslim women vandalized a Goddess Durga idol in Hyderabad’s Khairatabad area. The women also attempted to break a statue of Mother Mary outside a church. When locals attempted to intervene, they were attacked by the women. The police later declared the women mentally ill, with one of their relatives stating that the women had been undergoing treatment for schizophrenia.
13. In October 2022, a disturbing incident occurred at a 200-year-old Mahadev temple in Rasna village, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, when a young man was filmed urinating on the Shivling. The individual, identified as Mohammad Shoaib, carried out the act on 18 October 2022. The video quickly spread on social media, drawing widespread attention. According to the police, Shoaib was described as “mentally retarded” and a drug addict, which they claimed contributed to his actions. They stated that he was intoxicated at the time of the incident when he entered the temple and desecrated the Shivling. Despite the gravity of the incident, the police classified Shoaib’s behavior as a result of his mental state. His family provided medical certificates confirming his condition.
14. In May 2021, unknown vandals severed the head of the Karuppar Swami idol at the Theerthaandathanam area near SP Pattinam in Ramanathapuram district, at the renowned Sakalatheerthamudaiyavar temple. Despite efforts, the police were unable to identify the culprits, and it was concluded that the act may have been committed by a group of mentally challenged individuals who had been seen in the area in the days leading up to the incident.
15. In September 2021, Mohammad Khan, a Muslim man from Valikandapuram, attempted to set fire to two temple chariots in the village of V. Kalathur, near Veppanthattai in Perambalur district. At around 7 AM, he tried to break the lock on the chariot shed and ignite the chariots. Shocked villagers rushed to extinguish the flames and captured Khan, who reportedly said he set the fire “just for the sake of it” and wanted to see what was inside the chariot. In a viral video, Khan explained that the chariot had been closed for a long time due to a court order and he was curious about the reason behind it. He also claimed that he set the fire in broad daylight and would do it again if allowed. The villagers handed him over to the police, but Hindu Munnani has raised concerns that the authorities may try to downplay the incident, suggesting the man was mentally ill.
16. In October 2021, idols at the Maduraikaliamman Temple in Siruvachur, near Perambalur, were found vandalized. The damaged idols included those of Periyasamy, Chelliyamman, and other deities from the Sengamalayar Temple. Priests and devotees discovered the vandalism when they arrived at the temple on the morning of the incident. The local police began investigating the matter. The police arrested Natarajan, also known as Naathan, in connection with the vandalism at the Maduraikaliamman Temple in Siruvachur. After verifying his mental stability, the authorities declared that he was not mentally ill and subsequently jailed him for the offense.
17. In another peculiar incidents, more than 20 idols of Hindu gods along the path leading to the Viralimalai Murugan Temple in Pudukottai district have been repeatedly vandalized. The first such incident occurred in 2021, when newly erected idols of Lord Murugan and other deities were found shattered by locals. Dr. C. Vijayabhaskar, AIADMK’s MLA from Viralimalai, shared images of the damage on social media and filed a complaint with the local police, condemning the act and calling for strict action. Despite these efforts, the vandalism continues, with another incident occurring in September 2024.
In conclusion, the recurring incidents of temple desecration and attacks on Hindu religious sites, frequently attributed to individuals described as “mentally unstable,” reveal a concerning pattern of hostility toward Hinduism. These acts, perpetrated by both uneducated individuals and educated professionals, appear to stem from deep-rooted religious animosity rather than true mental instability. The tendency to dismiss these attacks as the actions of mentally ill individuals raises serious questions about the underlying motives behind such incidents.
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