Muslim mob attacks Dhaka's Durga Puja mandap with petrol bomb, stab four devotees with knife

Case ID : 2e1d56c | Location : Dhaka District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Wed, 9 October, 2024

Case ID : 2e1d56c

Dhaka District, Bangladesh

9 October, 2024

Muslim mob attacks Dhaka's Durga Puja mandap with petrol bomb, stab four devotees with knife

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Violence against religious structures or centres

Attack not resulting in death

Attack against Hindu devotees

Case Summary

A targeted attack took place at a Durga Puja mandap in the Tanti Bazar area of Dhaka, Bangladesh on October 10, 2024. A petrol bomb was hurled at the mandap during the festival celebrations. Security footage showed a man standing in line before throwing the explosive toward the Durga idol, causing a minor fire at the site. Fortunately, no major damage occurred, but panic ensued. In the aftermath of the bombing, the attacker resorted to violence when Hindu devotees attempted to stop him. The attacker stabbed five people, including four mandap volunteers (Deepta Dey, Jhantu Dhar, Khokon Dhar, Sagar Ghosh) and a visitor, Mohammed Ramiz Uddin. All five were quickly taken to Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital for treatment. None of the injuries were life-threatening. Law enforcement arrested two suspects, identified as Mohammed Hridoy and Mohammed Jibon, who were taken into custody for interrogation.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker as a religiously motivated hate crime under two prime categories. The first is- Attack not resulting in death and under this, the sub-category selected is- Attack against Hindu devotees. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The second category under which this case has been placed, based on the details, is- Attack on Hindu religious symbols. Within this, the sub-category selected is- Violence against religious structures or centres. In Hinduism, a religious structure is also considered divine. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the religious structure itself is sacred. In this sub-category, we would document attacks against religious structures which are not consecrated temple spaces. Such religious spaces could be temporary in nature – for example – the religious spaces erected specifically for festivals like Durga Puja etc. This category would also document cases of attacks against religious centres. These spaces in their own right may not be ‘sacred’ per se, however, are often spaces where religious gurus live, religious teaching is imparted, or belong to religious institutions. Any attack against religious structures is a result of animosity towards the religion itself, which manifests itself through the religious spaces and therefore, such attacks are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. Religious centres are also manifestations of the religion, its teachings or gurus and therefore, attacks against such centres would be considered religiously motivated hate crimes. In this instance, the assailant's actions directly endangered Hindu devotees gathered at the mandap to celebrate Durga Puja. By throwing a petrol bomb and subsequently resorting to violence and stabbing when confronted, the attacker demonstrated hostility aimed specifically at Hindus during their religious observance. This type of targeted aggression exemplifies an attack intended to instil fear among Hindu worshippers and disrupt their ability to safely practice their faith. Further, the attack not only threatened individuals but also targeted a sacred space of worship, the Durga Puja mandap, where the idol of Durga was installed. The attempt to harm or desecrate the mandap by throwing an explosive underscores symbolic aggression against Hindu religious icons and places of worship. This assault on a religious structure highlights a broader disregard for Hindu religious practices and spaces, reflecting deeper animosity toward the community. Given that the fundamental motivation behind these actions is contempt for Hindus and their religion, this instance has been added to the tracker under the following category.