Hindu home attacked, temple vandalised and idols desecrated by Muslims amidst ongoing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

Case ID : 30a8207 | Location : Faridpur District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Fri, 1 May, 2026

Case ID : 30a8207

Faridpur District, Bangladesh

1 May, 2026

Hindu home attacked, temple vandalised and idols desecrated by Muslims amidst ongoing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Attack on Temples

Desecration of Hindu religious symbol

Case Summary

In the Kanaidangi village of Faridpur district, Bangladesh, a Hindu household belonging to Ramchandra Mondal was attacked, and a Hindu temple in the household was vandalised and desecrated by members of the Muslim community. According to reports, on the night of 27 April 2026, a group of Muslim perpetrators entered the premises of the Hindu man, Ramchandra Mondal, and caused extensive damage to the Hindu temple located within the residence. They vandalised the temple and desecrated multiple Hindu idols, instilling fear among the Hindu minority families and the surrounding community. During the incident, a few Muslim neighbours intervened and assisted in rescuing the Hindu family members, preventing further escalation of violence. Following the attack, a written complaint was submitted to the Kotwali Police Station in Faridpur, and a police inspector visited the site and confirmed that the incident had taken place. Despite this verification, the police did not register a formal case, leading to heightened anxiety and insecurity among local Hindu residents. The absence of immediate legal action and the lack of arrests contributed to a climate of fear, with the affected family continuing to feel vulnerable. Furthermore, authorities did not issue any clarification regarding the delay in filing the case. This incident is part of an ongoing pattern of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, where the community has repeatedly faced persecution and disruptions to their religious festivals and gatherings. Such attacks on Hindu minorities have become increasingly frequent and intensified since August 2024. This escalation of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh has 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. Following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, 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. The third phase of violence was unleashed after the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026. 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.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Attack not resulting in death. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. The second primary category selected is - Attack on Hindu religious representation. Within it, the sub-category selected within this is- Attack on temple. 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 sub-category 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 case was included in the tracker as it reflected a targeted act of violence directed at a Hindu household and its place of worship by the Muslim perpetrators, demonstrating that the hostility extended beyond an isolated incident and pointed towards religious-based targeting. The attack on the residence of the Hindu victim, Ramchandra Mondal, and the desecration of the Hindu temple within the premises demonstrated that both the individual and his religious space were deliberately singled out, reinforcing the vulnerability of the Hindu minority community in the locality. The nature of the incident underscored that the violence was not random. The Muslim perpetrators entered a private residence of the Hindu man and focused specifically on the temple and the idols housed within it. Such an act carried clear symbolic significance, as Hindu temples and murtis are central to religious practice and spiritual life. The deliberate damage inflicted upon these sacred objects was not merely an act of property destruction but one that directly impacted the religious sentiments of the community, indicating disregard and hostility towards their faith. 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 vandalised the temple 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 desecration of the idols 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. Furthermore, the selection of the target pointed towards religious animosity. There was no indication of any personal dispute or immediate provocation that could explain the attack on the household. Instead, the fact that a Hindu family and its place of worship were targeted demonstrated that the religion itself was the defining factor. This reinforced that the Hindu community was being treated as a collective, rather than the incident being confined to an individual grievance. The impact of the attack extended beyond physical damage to the temple and property. The incident created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among local Hindu residents, who were left uncertain about their safety and the protection of their religious spaces. The intervention of a few neighbours prevented further harm, but the initial act of violence was sufficient to generate anxiety regarding the continued ability of the community to practise its faith without intimidation. Taken together, the deliberate targeting of a Hindu household, the desecration of a place of worship and sacred idols, the absence of any personal trigger, and the subsequent inaction in initiating legal proceedings indicated that the incident was shaped by hostility towards the religious identity of the victims. The case, therefore, qualified as a religiously motivated act of targeted violence, as it affected both the physical security and the dignity of the Hindu community while undermining their ability to freely practise their faith. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. A discrepancy was noted in the reporting of this case regarding the date and day on which the event occurred. Certain reports described the incident as having taken place on “Saturday night (27 April 2026)”. However, 27 April 2026 did not fall on a Saturday, indicating an internal inconsistency within the reporting itself. This mismatch suggests a likely editorial or transcription error, where the day and date were incorrectly paired. Given the absence of consistent and independently verified information clarifying the exact day of occurrence, relying on both the stated date and the corresponding day could lead to inaccuracies in documentation. Therefore, to maintain consistency and avoid the risk of misreporting, the date of the incident has been recorded based on when it was reported in the media, 2 May 2026.