Hindu temple broken into, valuable items used for puja rituals looted amidst ongoing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh
Chittagong Division, Bangladesh 
14 June, 2026
Case Summary
In Anwara Upazila of Chattogram, Bangladesh, a Hindu temple, Purba Gujra Sarvajanin Sree Sree Lokenath Sebashram, was looted late at night by unknown miscreants. The miscreants broke the temple’s lock to enter the premises and stole various valuable items, including brass pots and bell metal utensils used for puja rituals. According to local sources, unidentified individuals entered the temple late on Monday night, 15 June 2026, to commit the theft. In the morning, the temple authorities and local devotees arrived to find the temple’s lock broken. Upon entering, they confirmed that various essential and valuable items were missing. This incident sparked anxiety and outrage among the local Hindu (Sanatani) community. Questions were raised about the temple's security measures, and locals demanded that the perpetrators be swiftly identified and brought to justice. The individuals involved in the theft had not yet been identified. The incident triggered widespread discussion in the area, and local Hindu residents urged the administration to take effective steps to ensure the security of religious places of worship. This burglary at Purba Gujra Sarvajanin Sree Sree Lokenath Sebashram temple occurred against a wider backdrop of hostility towards Hindu temple construction in Bangladesh, particularly the Sanatan Dharma Complex project in Gaibandha, which faced sustained criticism, inflammatory campaigns, and calls for desecration and demolition. 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 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 18th 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. 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 contributed to an environment of hostility and insecurity for the Hindu minority. The third phase of violence emerged after the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026. Within days of the announcement of results, Hindu families in districts including Noakhali, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Sylhet, Thakurgaon, and Dinajpur reported 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 ?
The primary category selected in this case is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory selected in this case 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. This case was included in the Hinduphobia Tracker because a Hindu place of worship was deliberately targeted, resulting in the violation of a sacred religious space and the disruption of religious practices associated with it. The incident occurred against the backdrop of a documented pattern of attacks on Hindu temples, religious institutions, and communities in Bangladesh, making the targeting of a Hindu religious site particularly significant. The perpetrators consciously breached a protected place of worship and removed items integral to ritual observance. In Hindu belief, a temple is not merely a physical structure but a consecrated abode of the deity, making any deliberate intrusion into its premises an affront to a sacred institution central to Hindu religious life. While some may argue that the case details do not explicitly state a religious motive and that the immediate motive behind the incident may have been financial rather than explicitly religious, the broader context of anti‑Hindu persecution in Bangladesh remains relevant for classification. During periods of sustained violence against Hindus based on religious identity, the Hinduphobia Tracker applies a contextual presumption that attacks on Hindu victims are likely faith‑targeted, even when the immediate report does not record a specific religious marker. In such periods, the normalisation of religious hostility and the dehumanisation of minorities can contribute to crimes against them without perpetrators openly stating their motive. For the purpose of documenting the 2024 to 2026 ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh and their subsequent persecution after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi and the political exile of Sheikh Hasina, the Hinduphobia Tracker records such incidents as likely religiously motivated at the point of entry. If any case is later established through credible investigation or court findings to stem from motivations other than religious hostility, it will be revised or removed from the hate crime database.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
