Hindu temple vandalised in Bangladesh; idol of Hindu deity mutilated, limbs and tongue severed by miscreants
Chittagong District, Bangladesh 
8 April, 2026
Case Summary
In Pomra Union of Rangunia Upazila in Chittagong, Bangladesh, the Maa Magadheshwari temple was looted, vandalised and desecrated by a group of miscreants. According to reports, on the night of 9 April 2026, the perpetrators disabled the temple’s electricity supply by cutting the external meter wire, ensuring darkness and preventing any surveillance systems from functioning. They then entered the temple premises and engaged in a systematic act of desecration by breaking the hands, feet, and tongue of the idol of Maa Magadheshwari before smashing it. Following this, they looted gold ornaments and clothing from the idol and broke open the donation box, stealing cash and other valuable offerings made by devotees. The incident came to light on the morning of 10 April 2026 when the temple priest arrived for daily worship and discovered the destruction, after which local residents and authorities were informed. Manik Kanti Das, general secretary of the Rangunia upazila Janmashtami Udjapan Parishad, said miscreants entered the Ma Magadheshwari Temple, vandalised the deity and took gold ornaments. As of the date of writing this report, a complaint was filed at the Rangunia Model Police Station. Officer-in-Charge Md Arman Hossain stated that an investigation was underway. This attack comes at a time when Hindus are facing a fresh wave of attacks in Bangladesh following the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026 in Bangladesh, reinforcing a recurring pattern of post-poll violence targeting Hindu minorities. Within days of the announcement of results, Hindu families in districts such as Noakhali, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Sylhet, Thakurgaon, and Dinajpur reported coordinated attacks involving arson, looting, assault, and vandalism of temples and homes. In several instances, Hindu homes were selectively targeted, looted, and families were threatened with displacement. This escalation of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh unfolded in three distinct phases: first, following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024; second, after the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi in December 2025; and third, in the immediate aftermath of the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026. This electoral violence unfolded against the broader backdrop of sustained anti-Hindu hostility that had persisted since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024. During that period, multiple reports documented attacks on Hindu homes, temples, and religious institutions, alongside intimidation campaigns, arson, and mob assaults targeting minority neighbourhoods. The Hinduphobia tracker has recorded 336 such incidents against the Hindu minority, underscoring the scale and persistence of anti-Hindu violence during this period. A further escalation occurred following the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a Muslim political activist and student leader known for his anti-Hindu and anti-India rhetoric. Hadi had been involved in political unrest after the fall of the Hasina government and was killed in Dhaka on 18 December 2025 during clashes. In the aftermath of his death, Hindu communities were blamed and subsequently targeted in retaliatory violence. Hindu homes were selectively set ablaze in multiple localities, forcing families to flee and leaving many displaced. The attacks appeared patterned rather than sporadic, with Muslim mobs focusing on Hindu neighbourhoods, properties, and religious symbols. Among the victims was Dipu Chandra Das, who was lynched to death and his body was set ablaze by a Muslim mob over false blasphemy allegations. The Hinduphobia tracker documented 51 incidents of anti-Hindu violence in the period following Hadi’s death alone. Such incidents underscore the vulnerability of the Hindu minority amid rising communal hostility and the weaponisation of religious accusations. Reports further indicated that posters and written materials calling for the extermination of Hindus were displayed in public spaces, signalling an alarming normalisation of genocidal rhetoric. When combined with acts of arson, vandalism, assault, and targeted intimidation, these developments suggest a coordinated environment of hostility aimed at terrorising the Hindu community and reinforcing majoritarian dominance.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This incident has been added to the tracker under the category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Under this, the first subcategory selected 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 other subcategory selected 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 incident qualified as a religiously motivated hate crime because it involved the targeted vandalism, desecration, and looting of a Hindu place of worship, Maa Magadheshwari temple, in Pomra Union of Rangunia Upazila in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Temples hold profound religious significance for Hindus, serving as sacred spaces where devotees connect with the divine through worship, rituals, and community gatherings. These revered institutions embody the living presence of deities, housing idols that represent eternal spiritual truths and fostering a sense of devotion that binds families and neighbourhoods across generations. Any attack on a Hindu temple stems from religious animosity, as seen in this case, where perpetrators looted the temple, vandalised it and desecrated the idols of Hindu deities. This deliberate violation of a sacred Hindu space marks a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime. In Hinduism, temple idols are regarded as sacred embodiments of the divine, consecrated through established religious practices and revered as living representations of the deity. The deliberate breaking of the idol’s hands, feet, and tongue before smashing it entirely constituted a direct and symbolic assault on the religious identity, faith, and spiritual dignity of the Hindu community. Desecrating idols of Hindu deities equates to desecrating the temple as a whole, profaning its every pillar, altar, and consecrated space where devotees seek solace and divine connection. This deliberate intrusion into Hinduism's most protected sacred domain reveals a calculated intent to dismantle the Hindu community's spiritual sanctuary, making it an unequivocal religiously motivated hate crime against their faith ecosystem. The manner in which the crime was carried out further reinforced its targeted and premeditated nature. The perpetrators first disabled the temple’s electricity supply by cutting the external meter wire, ensuring complete darkness and preventing surveillance systems from functioning. This calculated step demonstrated prior planning and an intention to avoid detection, indicating that the act was not spontaneous but carefully orchestrated. The subsequent entry into the temple premises and the focused destruction of the idol showed that the primary objective extended beyond theft to the desecration of a sacred religious symbol. While the perpetrators also looted gold ornaments, clothing, and donation box contents, the sequence of actions suggested that desecration was central to the attack. The idol was first mutilated and destroyed before valuables were taken, underscoring that the violation of the sacred space was not incidental to theft but a deliberate act intended to degrade and insult the religious sanctity of the temple. In Hindu belief, offerings made to deities hold deep spiritual significance, and their removal from a consecrated space constitutes not only material loss but also a symbolic violation of devotion and faith. Temples serve as vital cultural and spiritual anchors for Hindu communities, functioning as centres of worship, continuity, and collective identity. An attack on such a site disrupts not only religious practice but also the sense of security and belonging of the community associated with it. The desecration of the Maa Magadheshwari temple therefore represented an assault not only on a physical structure but on the broader religious and cultural fabric of the local Hindu population. This incident also aligned with a broader pattern of repeated attacks on Hindu temples, idols, and religious institutions in Bangladesh, where the Hindu community, as a religious minority, has faced recurring instances of violence, desecration, and intimidation. When such acts occur within an environment marked by continued hostility towards a specific religious group, they cannot be viewed in isolation but reflect an ongoing climate of vulnerability and targeted aggression. The combination of premeditated intrusion, deliberate idol desecration, and theft from a sacred space demonstrated that the act was driven by hostility towards the Hindu faith, thereby meeting the criteria of a religiously motivated hate crime and warranting its inclusion in the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: Though the perpetrators remained unknown, such actions stem from hostility towards the Hindu faith. Therefore, this case has been added to the tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
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