Temple Bricks, Beef and Slogans: What Happened at Jagannath University
A dispute at Jagannath University in Dhaka has grown from a meal cooked near a Hindu temple into a larger controversy over religious sentiments and campus rules, just as Bangladesh’s Hindu community begins its biggest festival, Durga Puja.
How it began
Around 8 pm on October 12, students of the 17th batch of the university’s Department of Islamic History and Culture cooked beef khichuri near the campus’s open-air stage, which is close to the central temple. Some Hindu students objected, saying that preparing beef so close to a place of worship had hurt their religious sentiments. They also alleged that bricks belonging to the temple had been used to make the makeshift stove. The organisers said they did not know the bricks were from the temple.
University steps in, row escalates
The university issued two notices after the incident and barred animal slaughter on campus, citing sanitation and other concerns. Some students objected to the ban. A group from the same department then announced plans to slaughter a cow and hold another beef feast on Friday, October 16, which was Maha Shashthi, the first day of Durga Puja. One organiser told a news outlet that they had originally thought of holding it after the festival.
On Friday morning, the cow was slaughtered on campus in protest against the administration’s ban. Accounts differ on the location and on how many animals were involved. Hindu students had already held protests and demanded an impartial investigation into the original incident.
Slogans and social media
Reports also describe anti-India slogans being raised amid the protests, though details of when and by whom remain unclear. A minority rights group has also warned of religiously inflammatory posts online and said attempts are being made to stir communal tension.
Minority council’s concern
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said the October 12 incident was an attempt to provoke communal tension and hurt religious sentiments. It said no one has been arrested or held responsible, which in its view has emboldened those responsible. The council also criticised the heavy police presence, drones and political leaders’ involvement around Durga Puja events as “saddening and unfortunate.”
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