In the deluge caused by incessant rain and rising levels of Yamuna water an alarming story got drowned – the lynching of a Sewadar at the iconic Kalkaji temple. Such stories would have immediately raised suspicions about a communal angle. It was not so, the sewadar was killed by fellow Hindu devotees, or this is the wrong word to use.
According to newspaper reports, nine people have been arrested so far in connection with the brutal killing of a 35-year-old sewadar at Kalkaji temple. The victim, Yogendra Singh, was beaten to death about 10 days ago after an argument with the accused over distribution of offerings (prasad).
The accused have been identified as Kuldeep Bidhuri (20), Sandeep Bidhuri (33), Monu Kangar (31), Rohit Bidhuri (24), and Mohan Bidhuri alias Bhura (19), all residents of Tughlakabad; Atul Pandey (30) of Dakshinpuri; and Nitin Pandey (27) of Govindpuri. Anil Kumar (55), father of accused Nitin Pandey, and Babu (40) of Tughlakabad have also been arrested for harbouring the criminals and criminal conspiracy.
This is not an isolated incident but a fallout of a very “aggressively followed Hinduism” in the past few years. In these columns a few weeks back we had talked about stress put on the security and the civic agencies to maintain peace during the Kawad Yatra. This year there were reports of
Kawadiyas smashing down hotels and shops run by the Hindus along the Yatra route.
Somewhere unfortunately the culture of licensed hooliganism in the name of religion has come to pervade. This weekend amidst the traffic jams caused by roads broken in rains, the poor car users had their windows shuddering by the high voltage music played by the DJ carts accompanying Ganpati Visarjan Yatra.
Ganpati Visarjan is meant to symbolise joy and submission to divinity, is now accompanied by deafening DJs, street blockages, and open flouting of civic norms. In such circumstances, the quiet devotee seeking spiritual solace is drowned out, both literally and metaphorically.
Think of the frustration and how much shaken the car users, the majority of them being Hindus, would have been first stuck up in the rain battered roads getting battered by the high voltage sound. Who are these devotees, what ‘sanskar’ do they bring to value add to the ancient sanatan religion.
For the god-fearing Hindu, the challenges are practical as well as spiritual. Attending a temple during peak festivities often means getting pushed by unruly crowds, tolerating deafening music, or even facing physical risk. Blocked roads, traffic snarls, and vandalism, further add to the frustration.
Instead of spiritual upliftment, the devout often return with exhaustion or even fear. Over time, this discourages participation, leaving the field open to those who treat festivals as occasions of power play rather than devotion. Religious festivals that once encouraged collective discipline and harmony have increasingly turned into platforms of unruly display, where devotion is measured by noise, numbers, and muscle power rather than inner piousness.
The simple temple-goer or pilgrim, who may want only to light a lamp, offer prayers, or sit in meditation, finds themselves displaced by an atmosphere where intimidation replaces stimulation. The lynching at Kalkaji reflects this erosion of sacredness that a dispute over prasad distribution could escalate into fatal violence, turning a holy space into a crime scene.
Sanatan Dharma, has always prided itself on values of tolerance, compassion, and respect for diversity of practices. Its festivals are meant to be occasions for community bonding, where ritual and joy blend together. Today, however, the louder fragments dominate the narrative, projecting an image of Hinduism as aggressive rather than reflective, chaotic rather than ordered belief. This alienates not only the devout Hindu but also dilutes the religion’s moral and spiritual heritage.
The Kalkaji tragedy should serve as a wake-up call. If unchecked, such incidents will further alienate the devout Hindu, who seeks sanctity, not spectacle; faith, not frenzy. To reclaim the true spirit of Sanatan Dharma, we must restore discipline and dignity to our rituals. Devotion does not need a loudspeaker, nor a procession. It needs silence, sincerity, and self-restraint.
Until then, the god-fearing Hindu will continue to feel outcaste in their own faith, longing for sacredness but presented with spectacle. Hinduism has survived for millennia because of its emphasis on tolerance, reflection, and compassion. Allowing festivals to degenerate into chaotic spectacles endangers not only public peace but also the religion’s moral fabric.
Sidharth Mishra
Author and president, Centre for Reforms, Development & Justice