Troubling incidents have been reported from Bangladesh, highlighting a series of attacks targeting the minority Hindu community. Over the past week, eight idols were vandalized across three temples in the Mymensingh and Dinajpur districts. These incidents come amidst escalating tensions in the country following the political transition earlier this year.
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The idols in two temples were defaced in two separate incidents First on Thursday and then on Friday. Both occurred in Mymensinghâs Haluaghat sub-district. The first attack targeted the Bonderpara Temple in the Shakuai Union. Here the miscreants damaged two idols early on Friday. The second incident occurred on Thursday, a temple in the Beeldora Union was also vandalized.
Abul Khayer, the officer-in-charge of the Haluaghat Police Station, confirmed the events. He stated that investigations are underway. “No case has been filed, and no arrests have been made in this incident so far,” Khayer said. However, the authorities have detained a 27-year-old suspect, Alal Uddin, in connection with the attack on Polashkanda Kali Temple.
The police revealed that during the interrogation, Alal Uddin confessed to the crime. He was presented in court on Friday and subsequently remanded to custody. Furthermore, a case has been filed against unidentified persons in connection with the Polashkanda incident. An official complaint has been filed according to Suvash Chandra Sarker, the temple committee president.
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Similarly in Dinajpurâs Birganj sub-district, five idols at the Jharbari Shashan Kali Temple were discovered vandalized earlier this week. The Temple committee president Janardan Roy expressed his shock over the incident. He said, “We’ve never seen such an act here,”. The damage was uncovered on Thursday, and police have since launched a thorough investigation into the matter.
Now all these incidents add to the growing list of troubling trends of violence against the Minority community in Bangladesh. All this began in August after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinaâs government was ousted following student-led protests. The protests, initially sparked by demands for job quota reforms, escalated into a nationwide movement that claimed over 600 lives.
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Since then the country has witnessed a surge in communal tensions and violence. The transition to an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has been marked by repeated attacks on Hindu minorities.
Further adding to the trouble, a former ISKCON member and Hindu monk, Chinmoy Krishna Das, was arrested in late November. Chinmoy was arrested on serious charges of sedition. However, his arrest led to protests globally, with concerns raised over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, India has voiced strong objections to these developments. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri recently met Bangladeshi officials in Dhaka to address the issue. The high-level visit also came at a time of increasing strain in ties between New Delhi and Dhaka over attacks on minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh after Hasina’s ouster.
Vikram Misri described the attacks as âregrettableâ. He urged Bangladesh to take concrete measures to safeguard its minority communities. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh also emphasized the gravity of the situation. He cited 88 incidents of communal violence against minorities since August.
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According to Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, “2,200 cases of violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh were reported till 8th December 2024, and 112 cases in Pakistan were reported till October 2024.”
Last week, authorities in Sunamganj district arrested four individuals for vandalizing a Hindu temple and attacking Hindu-owned properties. Around the same time, three Hindu temples in Chattogram were targeted by a mob chanting slogans, linked to protests over sedition charges against Chinmoy Krishna Das.
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