Ancient Hindu temple attacked, idols beheaded by Muslim men ahead of Durga puja in Bangladesh
Manikganj, Dhaka District, Bangladesh 
25 September, 2025
Case Summary
In the Bhabanipur Biswaspara village of Manikganj, Dhaka district, Bangladesh, an ancient Hindu temple was attacked, with its idol being deliberately desecrated by a group of Muslims. According to reports, the century-old Kali temple was vandalised in the middle of the night. Muslim men entered the temple, vandalised it, and deliberately broke the hands and heads of two Kali idols present within the temple. The damage was discovered by local Hindu devotees the next morning, prompting the temple committee president, Ranjan Biswas, to inspect the site. He stated that the temple had remained unprotected due to its secluded location and suggested that the attack may have been intended to create unrest ahead of Durga Puja. The incident drew immediate attention from law enforcement, with members of the police, Rapid Action Battalion, and army visiting the site. Officer-in-Charge of Shibaloy Police Station, Md. Kamal Hossain confirmed that efforts were underway to identify the perpetrators and legal action would be taken against them. This case serves as a stark reminder of the continued persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, which has only increased manifold since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024. After her violent ouster, Bangladesh plunged into chaos as Islamist extremists took advantage of the political turmoil to unleash a wave of terror and violence against the Hindu community. The Islamist mobs have attacked Hindu homes, burned them to the ground, and abducted women in a horrific descent into anarchy. Several temples have been destroyed in various parts of the Islamic country in a major crackdown on Hindus. Reports have exposed how Muslim students forced around 60 Hindu teachers, professors, and government officials to resign. Exiled Bangladeshi activist Asad Noor has also revealed that the minority Hindu community is now being coerced into joining ‘Jamaat-e-Islami’. Hindu religious events have been repeatedly targeted. On 6th September, a procession carrying Lord Ganesha’s idol was attacked in Chittagong. Ahead of Durga Puja, multiple incidents of idol vandalism occurred, including attacks in Mymensingh, Pabna, Rajshahi, Kishoreganj, and Dhaka. On 29th November, a violent Muslim mob attacked three temples in Patharghata, Chittagong, immediately after Jumma Namaz. The crackdown on Hindu voices has also escalated. On 30th November, Hindu journalist Munni Saha was arrested in Dhaka. Muslim mob attacks have increased in Bangladesh, for example, on 22nd May 2025, a Muslim mob carried out arson attacks selectively on Hindu homes in Dahar Mashihati village in Abhaynagar upazila in Jessore district of Bangladesh. Even ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu and his aides have been targeted, and attempts have been made to ban ISKCON and suppress Hindu protests through sedition charges. These arbitrary actions point to a systematic pattern of persecution under Muhammad Yunus’s interim government.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category in this case is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The first subcategory under this is: Attack on Temples. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which, the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. The second subcategory under this is: Desecration of Hindu religious symbol. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. This case has been added to the tracker because the century-old Kali temple was deliberately vandalised just ahead of the Durga Puja celebration by Islamist extremists. This constitutes a direct attack on the religious identity of Hindus through the vandalism of the Kali Mata temple and the deliberate damage to the consecrated murti of Goddess Kali. The temple as an institution holds immense spiritual importance in the Hindu faith. For Hindus, temples are not mere physical structures; they are sanctified spaces believed to embody the divine presence of Hindu deities. Acts of violence against such spaces are not isolated incidents of destruction but reflect underlying hostility towards Hindu beliefs and identity. The attack specifically involved the deliberate desecration of the idols of Goddess Kali, with their hands and heads broken. The deliberate beheading of the idol portrays the religious animosity of the perpetrators towards Hindu places of worship. In Hinduism, deities’ idols are not simply artistic representations; they are revered manifestations of the divine. Their destruction is therefore a direct assault on the religious sentiments of Hindus and a profound act of disrespect. Such acts of desecration are a result of deep-seated animosity towards Hinduism and the Hindu community, making it a religiously motivated crime. Furthermore, the psychological impact of such attacks is immense. Devotees visit temples seeking solace, peace, and a sense of connection with the divine. When these sacred spaces are targeted and desecrated, it shatters the sense of security and belonging that the Hindu community derives from its religious institutions. The pain caused by the desecration of temple idols is not limited to physical damage; it is a wound to the collective psyche of the Hindu community. The timing of this crime further exposed its malicious intent. The desecration occurred just ahead of Durga Puja, one of the most revered and widely celebrated festivals among Hindus. Durga Puja commemorates the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura, symbolising the triumph of good over evil, and is observed with great devotion and preparation by millions of Hindus. By targeting and desecrating the idols of Goddess Kali shortly before this holy festival, the perpetrators sought to disrupt religious celebrations, inflict distress upon the Hindu community, and openly display their hostility. The timing was not coincidental but a deliberate attempt to wound Hindu religious practices and sentiments at their most sacred moment.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
