Bangladesh: Unidentified miscreants attack 14 Hindu temples, vandalize idols

Unidentified people carried out the attacks under the cover of darkness, vandalizing idols in 14 temples in three unions

PGurus Newsdesk

February 6, 2023

Unidentified people carried out the attacks under the cover of darkness, vandalizing idols in 14 temples in three unions

Another series of orchestrated attacks against the Hindu community in Bangladesh

In yet another attack on the Hindus in Bangladesh, a group of unidentified miscreants attacked 14 Hindu temples and vandalized the idols in the northwestern part of Bangladesh in what seems to be a series of orchestrated attacks against the Hindu community.

Notably, nine idols in the Sindurpindi area of the Dhantala union, four in the Collegepara area of the Paria union, and 14 idols in a temple in the Sahbajpur Nathpara area of the Charol union of Bangladesh were vandalized by the miscreants.

According to police, the attacks took place between Saturday night and Sunday dawn at several villages in three unions of Baliadangi ‘upazila’ (sub-district) of Thakurgaon.

Bidyanath Barman, a Hindu community leader in Baliadangi upazila, narrated the ordeal saying, “Unidentified people carried out the attacks under the cover of darkness, vandalizing idols in 14 temples in three unions (lowest local government tier).”

Barman who is also the general secretary of the sub-district Puja Celebration Council said that the miscreants destroyed some of the idols while some were found in pond water along the temple sites. “We are in the dark about their (culprits’) identity but we want to bring them to justice after investigations,” he said.

Samar Chatterjee, a Hindu community leader, and union parishad chairman said that the region was always known to be an area of excellent interfaith harmony as “no such heinous incident took place here in the past”. Adding further he said, “The (majority) Muslim community does not have any dispute with us (Hindus)… we just cannot understand who could be these culprits.”

Speaking to reporters about the incident, Thakurgaon’s police chief Jahangir Hossain said, “It clearly appears to be a case of an orchestrated attack to disrupt the peaceful situation of the country.” The police officer added that an investigation was launched to track the attackers. “I assure you they will have to face stern legal actions,” he said.

Thakurgaon’s deputy commissioner or administrative chief Mahbubur Rahman called the attacks on Hindu temples a “manifestation of a conspiracy against peace and communal harmony” and said that the perpetrators will face action.

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