‘Mandir Yahin Banega’: St Stephen’s Chapel Door Vandalised

‘Mandir yahin banega’ (‘The temple will be constructed here’) scribbled on the door (left), the chapel door after the slogan was scraped out (right).  

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Avantikatewari & St Stephen’s College)

‘Mandir yahin banega’ (‘The temple will be constructed here’) was what was scribbled on the door of St Stephen’s College chapel at the University of Delhi. That’s not all, apparently, the cross outside the church had the words, “I’m going to hell” written on it.

According to a media report, the pro-Hindutva slogan was first noticed on the evening of Friday, 4 May. No one knows who wrote it or for how long it’s been up there because there have been no regular classes due to the looming Delhi University exams.

Students Union President Sai Aashirwaad said, “Inflammatory quotes like ‘Mandir yahin banega’ were found written on the chapel’s main door, while an ‘Om’ symbol along with the words, “I'm going to hell” was found on the cross situated behind the chapel yesterday (Friday).

The messages, however, were cleared on Saturday.

“The messages, however, were cleared today (Saturday),” he said.

The slogan has been removed from the chapel door of St Stephen’s College)

Principal John Varghese was unavailable for comments.

The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), in its statement, condemned the attack and demanded strict action against the perpetrator(s). The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) too voiced its concern against such vandalism in universities.

(With PTI inputs)

(The Quint is now on WhatsApp. To receive handpicked stories on topics you care about, subscribe to our WhatsApp services. Just go to TheQuint.com/WhatsApp and hit Send.)