A Shivling was found vandalised in a temple at Nagrota in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh on Friday, September 27, 2024, amid escalating communal tension in the state, particularly in Shima. A video clip tweeted by a local media outlet named City News Himachal was widely circulated on social media platforms. The video shows the desecrated Shivling inside the temple while the anchor describes it as an act by some miscreants. When a policeman is asked about the investigation, he replies that a probe was on and cops were going through CCTV footage from the neighbourhood.
The video is being shared with suggestions that the act of desecration of a Hindu temple was a result of ‘demographic change’ in the state.
X (formerly Twitter) user Raushan Singh (@MrSinha_), a Right-wing influencer who peddles communal misinformation regularly, quote-tweeted this video clip. He wrote, “Himachal Pradesh: A Shivling is vandalised by miscreants. Such News were not common in Devbhoomi Himachal Pradesh but now it will become a new normal. Demographic change is real & scary..”
Himachal Pradesh: A Shivling is vandalised by miscreants.
Such News were not common in Devbhoomi Himachal Pradesh but now it will become a new normal.
Demographic change is real & scary.. pic.twitter.com/mlK1Uajoys
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) September 27, 2024
The tweet has garnered over 3.4 Lakh views and 6,300 retweets at the time of this report being written.
Another X user, Deepak Sharma (@SonOfBharat7), tweeted the video clip and wrote, “In Himachal Pradesh 20 year old Shivling was broken… Devbhoomi was free from such demons But ever since the beasts have cast their evil eyes there Since then such incidents have increased. People of Himachal.. Do not stop until every demon is taught a lesson, if needed the whole country is with you”
हिमाचल प्रदेश में
20 साल पुराने शिवलिंग को तोड़ दिया…देवभूमि ऐसे राक्षसों से बची हुईं थी
लेकिन जबसे दरिंदों नें वहां अपनी गन्दी नज़र
डाली तबसे इस तरह की घटनायें बढ़ गयीं हैंहिमाचल वालों.. जबतक एक एक राक्षस को सबक न मिले तबतक रुकना नहीं, जरूरत पड़ी तो पूरा देश साथ है✊ pic.twitter.com/1Lrt93GULr
— Deepak Sharma (@SonOfBharat7) September 27, 2024
BJP leader and Assam urban affairs minister Ashok Singhal (@TheAshokSinghal) wrote while sharing the video, “A Shivling has been vandalised by miscreants in Himachal Pradesh today. It could happen in the land of Maa Kamakhya tomorrow. This is why we must stand firm in our resolve to protect our ‘Jati, Mati, Bheti’—our identity, land, and heritage—at all costs. Demography is destiny.” from his official X handle.
A Shivling has been vandalised by miscreants in Himachal Pradesh today. It could happen in the land of Maa Kamakhya tomorrow.
This is why we must stand firm in our resolve to protect our ‘Jati, Mati, Bheti’—our identity, land, and heritage—at all costs.
Demography is destiny. pic.twitter.com/CqkPp6JVSC
— Ashok Singhal (@TheAshokSinghal) September 28, 2024
When seen in the context of recent communal flare-ups in the state, the repeated mention of ‘demographic change’ and beasts or demons having cast their eyes on ‘Devbhoomi’ are clear examples of demonisation of Muslims and scaremongering. Several users including @MrSinha_ had mentioned demographic change in another recent tweet on Shimla claiming that around 35 Muslim vendors had been found carrying fake Aadhaar cards. This turned out to be a false and baseless claim. The related Alt News fact check can be read here.
Several other X users have made similar claims.
After the news of the temple desecration had gone viral, several Hindutva organizations staged protests using Anti-Muslim slogans at Gandhi Maidan. A live stream of the protest was done by the official Facebook page of News24 Himachal on September 27, 2024. In the presence of Raghubir Singh Bali, MLA of Nagrota, the protesters raised anti-muslim slogans.
किसने तोड़ा शिवलिंग.. नगरोटा बगवां में तनाव, हिंदू समाज सड़को पर, क्या बोले आरएस बाली आप भी सुनिए
Posted by News24 Himachal on Friday 27 September 2024
The official Facebook page of Samachar Himachal and another Facebook page named Khabar-dar, too, live-streamed the protest. Right-wing propaganda outlet OpIndia tweeted about the vandalism saying, “हिमाचल प्रदेश में हिन्दू भावनाओं को ठेस पहुँचाई गई।”
Fact Check
We found that the Himachal Pradesh police had issued a statement on this. In the video statement, DSP Kangra Ankit Sharma states, “An FIR was lodged under BNS 298 at Nagrota police station. After analyzing CCTV footage, police concluded that a 35-year-old lady named Nisha Devi was involved in the act of desecrating the Shivling in the temple at Nagrota. The act was carried out between 3:30 am and 4:00 am. Different clues were aligned to form a trail that led police to Nisha Devi and she was detained from Yol… The lady already faces similar charges in various police stations. In 2020, she had damaged a Shivling in a temple at Fatehpur in Dharamshala. She keeps damaging idols in temples. I would also like to add that the lady is mentally differently abled. Police will act following legal provisions.”
नगरोटा में शिवलिंग मामले को लेकर सुनिए क्या बोले डीएसपी कांगड़ा अंकित शर्मा
नगरोटा में शिवलिंग मामले को लेकर सुनिए क्या बोले डीएसपी कांगड़ा अंकित शर्मा
#Nagrota #Kangra #HimachalPradesh #PunjabKesariPosted by Punjab Kesari / Himachal on Saturday 28 September 2024
Anant Gyaan, a local Hindi media outlet, uploaded CCTV footage from September 27, 2024, where a person wrapped in a shawl is spotted moving in and out of the temple between 03:39 am and 03:44 am. “The individual damaging the Shivling at Nagrota turns out to be a woman,” the Facebook post said.
नगरोटा बगवां में शिवलिंग को तो*ड़ने वाली निकली एक महिला…सीसीटीवी फुटेज आया सामने
#nagrotabagwan #नगरोटा_बगवां #nagrota #anantgyaan #anantgyaanmedia #anantgyaantv #anantgyaandigitalPosted by ANANT GYAAN on Saturday 28 September 2024
We also found a news report by Punjab Kesari Himachal which said, “Police has achieved a big success in the case of breaking of Shivling near Gandhi Maidan last Thursday night. On the basis of CCTV footage, police arrested the accused woman near Yol a day later. The accused woman was identified as Nisha Devi who was walking towards Yol. Police said that the mental condition of the said woman was not sound and the police found the said woman wearing the same clothes which were seen in the CCTV footage and holding the same bag in her hand and this confirmed the suspicion of the police that this woman had committed this act.”
To sum up, the person who desecrated a Shivling in a temple in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, was identified as a 35-year-old mentally challenged woman named Nisha Devi. Claims made by the Right-wing that the incident was a result of ‘demographic change’ in the state and the scaremongering on social media against Muslims are baseless.
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