Ganesha idol desecrated in Karnataka’s Belur: False communal angle, ‘conversion mafia’ theory pop up

Following the discovery of the desecration of an idol of the Hindu deity Ganesha in a temple in Hassan district of Karnataka on September 21, a section of social media users claimed the ‘conversion mafia’ was behind the incident. 

Devotees from the locality who had gone to the temple in Belur noticed slippers placed on the idol of Ganesha. CCTV footage showed a woman entering the temple wearing slippers and coming out barefoot. The incident created outrage and tension in the town as it was seen as an attack on the religious sentiments of Hindus.

An X user named Trini shared a video of the incident calling it a case of Hinduphobia. The conversion mafia was suspected to be behind this heinous act, the user claimed. (Archived link)

Following the incident, local residents and Hindu organizations staged a protest. BJP leader CT Ravi, along with Belur MLA HK Suresh, visited the temple and condemned the act, claiming it had been carried out to “provoke Hindus.” Janata Dal (Secular) criticized the Karnataka government for the ever-increasing number of “evil acts that hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.”

Similarly, a user named Mohan Gowda added a communal angle to the incident, alleging the involvement of the ‘conversion mafia’. (Archive link)

A user named Spicy Sonal also made a similar claim, posting a video of the incident. The X handle @sanatan_kannada wrote that Hindus in Karnataka were scared after this incident. The user also questioned whether these criminals were protected by the government.

Fact Check

Hassan SP Mohammed Sujitha told the media that the woman who had thrown the slippers at the idol was taken into police custody. According to the woman’s family, she is mentally unstable.

Beluru ಗಣಪತಿಗೆ ಚಪ್ಪಲಿ ಹಾಕಿದ್ದ ಮಹಿಳೆ ಲೀಲಮ್ಮ ಪೊಲೀಸರ ವಶಕ್ಕೆ.. ಹಾಸನ SP ಮೊಹಮ್ಮದ್ ಸುಜೀತಾ ರಿಯಾಕ್ಷನ್| #TV9D#Tv9kannada #Beluru #Belurupurashabe #Vidyaganapati #MLASuresh #BeluruMLA #HassanSP pic.twitter.com/h0VPn89P7R

— TV9 Kannada (@tv9kannada) September 21, 2025

The police statement said 45-year-old Leelamma, a resident of Vijayanagar (Hassan), was detained for allegedly desecrating the Ganesha idol in Belur, Hassan. The SP further stated that Leelamma had left Hassan for Belur by bus around 8:30 pm. She then traveled to Chikamagalur and returned to Belur. Footage clearly shows that she entered the temple and behaved indecently near the idol. She later returned to Hassan. Police detained Leelamma near her home in Vijayanagar. According to preliminary information, the family stated that Leelamma was mentally unstable. The officer stated that a medical examination would be conducted to obtain accurate information about the accused’s mental state.

In a statement to the media, Leelamma’s mother, Lakshmamma, said that her daughter had been mentally unwell for the past 5-6 years.

Speaking to Alt News, investigating officer for the case Mr. Revanna confirmed that there was no communal angle to the incident. He said, “No conversion mafia is involved in this. The accused woman is mentally unstable. She was sent to judicial custody the same day she was arrested.”

To sum up, the incident of placing slippers on the Ganesh idol in a temple in Karnataka is being given a false conversion angle on social media.