It came as a shock to Hindu devotees when a Muslim youth entered the Raja Ganapathi Temple at Sengunthapuram on Tirupur–Mangalam Road and began performing prayers with his back turned towards the main deity.
It is alleged that the youth, identified as Ajmal Khan (21) of Poochukaadu, entered the temple on October 26. Upon seeing him performing Namaz, temple priest Naganathan and devotees requested him to leave the temple premises. However, he ignored their requests and continued praying.
திருப்பூர், செங்குந்தபுரம் பகுதியில், குடித்து விட்டு, ராஜகணபதி கோவிலில் தொழுகை நடத்திய அஜ்மல் கான். பக்தர்கள் புகாரின் அடிப்படையில் போலீசார் விசாரணை#Erode #Temple pic.twitter.com/zanH2WrWks
— Vijayabharatham Weekly (@v_bharatham) October 27, 2025
At one point, he began arguing with the priest and other devotees. Eventually, with the help of more people, the Muslim youth was escorted out of the temple premises, leading to tense moments in the area.
Based on a complaint from the priest and the public, Central Police personnel are probing the incident. Police sources said, “After consuming liquor, he went home where his parents did not allow him to enter. Enraged, he entered a temple and performed Namaz. There was no complaint from temple authorities. We have warned the youth not to repeat such acts in the future. However, we will book him under sections related to causing hindrance to the public.”
VHP functionary Saravanan Karthik demanded that the police conduct a background check on the youth who performed Namaz inside a Vinayagar temple. He said, “We know people under the influence of liquor may create a ruckus, but this is the first time a Muslim youth has entered a temple, a place of worship of another religion, and performed Namaz. This is totally unacceptable. Police must thoroughly check his antecedents and, if required, hand the case over to the NIA. We cannot treat this issue casually. His actions are condemnable.”
Hindu Munnani functionaries claimed this could be part of an “I Love Mohammed” campaign, adding, “This is happening across the world. It cannot be dismissed as an act committed in a drunken state. This is not an isolated case in Tamil Nadu. There appears to be a pattern, and it should serve as a wake-up call for Hindus and authorities. We are not referring to people who visit voluntarily or out of interfaith harmony.”
In February 2025, IUML Ramanathapuram MP Navas Kani and another Muslim MLA were seen eating biryani atop the sacred Thiruparankundram hillock, abode of Bhagwan Murugan.
In September 2024, a Muslim woman performed Namaz inside the premises of Kapaleeswarar Temple in Chennai and posted a video online, triggering outrage among Hindu groups. Reports also surfaced that two Muslim men had entered the same temple premises in Mylapore, Chennai.
In June 2023, a Muslim family, including several women wearing burqas, tried to enter the Palani Murugan Temple, one of the six abodes, claiming there was no signage prohibiting non-Hindus.
On 30 January 2024, the Madras High Court directed the HR&CE Department to reinstall boards in Tamil Nadu temples indicating that non-Hindus are not permitted beyond the kodimaram (flag mast). The court observed that temples are not tourist spots and that Hindus have the right to practise their faith without interference. The petitioner, D. Senthilkumar, argued that the family was treating the temple as a tourist site and sought restoration of boards banning non-Hindus.
In another incident, a video showing some Muslim women consuming meat inside the Thanjavur Brihadeeswarar Temple went viral on social media. Alert devotees confronted them and removed them from the premises with police assistance. Observers noted that allowing non-Hindus inside temples in the name of tourism has resulted in desecration of sacred spaces.
அறநிலையத்துறையின் அலட்சியம்
தஞ்சை பெரியகோவிலில் மாற்று மதத்தை சேர்ந்தவர்கள் கோபுர வளாகத்திற்க்குள் மாமிச உணவுகளை உண்ணும் போது கண்டு கொள்ளாத அறநிலையத்துறை. பக்தர்கள் அளித்த புகாரின் பேரில் காவல்துறை உதவியுடன் வெளியேற்றபட்டனர். pic.twitter.com/6VaTYBW8VV— Omampuliyur Jayaraman (@omampuliyur) March 6, 2023
There have been other such incidents. In June 2025, a man eating non-vegetarian food inside the Annamalai Temple premises in Thiruvannamalai sparked outrage.
In September 2022, HR&CE officials were caught eating non-vegetarian food at Thiruthani Murugan Temple’s rest house, violating vegetarian-only rules.
In January 2022, the department passed a resolution to build a fish market on temple land using temple funds. In 2021, a group of men, allegedly Muslims, desecrated a temple tank by using it as a swimming pool, cooking meat, and consuming alcohol. In 2020, HR&CE employees were caught consuming alcohol and meat and smoking in the Nandavanam (garden) of Kolanjiappar Temple in Virudhachalam.
In one video shared on Twitter, a group of people were seen sitting in the temple courtyard, speaking in Tamil and eating from food packets, saying they were enjoying chicken biryani. Viewers claimed they were seen removing small bones from the food and placing them aside.
Recently, a video of Muslim women offering Namaz inside the historic Shaniwar Wada Fort in Pune led to protests from Hindu organisations. The site, symbolic of the Maratha Empire, has cultural and historical significance.
In 2023, a Muslim woman and her stepmother were arrested after offering Namaz inside an ancient Shiva Temple in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, while a Muslim cleric was booked for allegedly inciting the act.
There have also been instances of Christians and preachers being found reading the Bible in temples and distributing minority-religion pamphlets.
Critics ask, “If such incidents happen in a mosque or a church, will they keep quiet? There seems to be a pattern in Tamil Nadu. Whenever a temple is desecrated or vandalised, the culprits are described as ‘persons of unstable mind’ or ‘inebriated’. But why do such incidents target only Hindu temples?”
