Kali temple burgled, sacred ornaments and donations looted amidst ongoing persecution of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh
Chittagong District, Bangladesh 
25 June, 2026
Case Summary
In Chattogram city of Bangladesh, a burglary took place at the historic Gosaildanga Sri Sri Shmashan Kali Bari temple in the Bandar police station area during the early hours of 25th June 2026. The perpetrators broke into the temple premises and stole valuable items, including gold ornaments belonging to the deity, silver utensils, and cash from the temple's donation box. The theft was discovered on the morning of 25th June 2026, triggering deep concern and anger among local Hindus and devotees associated with the temple. The stolen items included ornaments used to adorn the deity and money that had been offered by devotees as religious donations at the temple. Following the discovery of the incident, members of the temple committee and local Hindu residents visited the temple and assessed the losses. The matter was subsequently brought to the attention of the local administration and law enforcement authorities. Community leaders demanded that those responsible for the burglary be identified and brought under the law and called for immediate measures to strengthen security at the temple. The Gosaildanga Sri Sri Shmashan Kali Bari is a historic Hindu place of worship situated in the Bandar area of Chattogram and holds deep religious significance for the local Hindu community. The theft of ornaments belonging to the deity and cash from the donation box created widespread anxiety among devotees, who expressed concern over the security of religious institutions and sacred spaces. The incident occurred at a time when Hindu temples and places of worship in Bangladesh continued to face repeated incidents of theft, vandalism, desecration, and attacks. The targeting of sacred spaces and religious institutions has contributed to growing insecurity among the country's Hindu minority, particularly in the aftermath of political unrest and communal tensions. 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 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. Such incidents underscored 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 suggested 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 - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within this, the 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. In this case, the historic Gosaildanga Sri Sri Shmashan Kali Bari temple in the Bandar area of Chattogram, Bangladesh, was targeted when perpetrators entered the sacred premises and stole gold ornaments belonging to the deity, silver items, and cash from the temple's donation box. The attack was directed at a Hindu religious institution during a period when Hindu temples and religious spaces across Bangladesh continued to face repeated incidents of theft, vandalism, desecration, and intimidation. The burglary affected not only temple property but also the religious sentiments and spiritual life of the Hindu devotees associated with the shrine. The primary religious marker in this case was the targeting of a Hindu temple. Hindu temples are not ordinary buildings but sacred spaces where devotees worship their deities, preserve religious traditions, celebrate festivals, and maintain a spiritual connection with the divine. The temple in question is dedicated to Goddess Kali, one of the most revered and powerful deities in Hinduism, worshipped as the embodiment of divine protection, justice, and the destruction of evil. Kali temples hold profound spiritual significance for Hindu devotees and often serve as important centres of religious and community life. By entering the temple premises and removing valuables from within a sacred space, the perpetrators violated a place that held deep religious significance for the local Hindu community. In a country where Hindus constitute a vulnerable religious minority and where Hindu places of worship have repeatedly been subjected to attacks and desecration, the targeting of a temple dedicated to a revered Hindu deity carried significance beyond ordinary theft and reflected the continuing insecurity and vulnerability of Hindu religious institutions amidst a broader environment of anti-Hindu hostility. The second religious marker was the theft of items intimately connected with the temple and its religious activities. The perpetrators stole ornaments belonging to the deity and cash that had been offered by devotees as religious donations. In Hindu tradition, ornaments adorning a deity and offerings made by devotees possess religious significance because they form part of acts of worship and devotion. Donations placed in temple donation boxes are given as offerings to the deity and are used to maintain religious activities, rituals, and the functioning of the temple. The removal of these items directly affected the religious life of the temple and the devotees connected to it. Consequently, the incident transcended ordinary theft and assumed a distinctly religious dimension because it interfered with the sanctity and functioning of a Hindu place of worship. The targeting of the Gosaildanga Sri Sri Shmashan Kali Bari temple must also be viewed within the wider environment of anti-Hindu persecution in Bangladesh. During a period marked by repeated attacks on Hindu temples, idol desecration, vandalism of places of worship, theft of sacred objects, and intimidation of Hindu communities, incidents involving Hindu religious institutions acquire significance beyond their immediate material consequences. The violation of a temple belonging to a vulnerable religious minority creates fear and insecurity among devotees and reinforces concerns regarding the safety of Hindu places of worship and the free exercise of religious practices. For the purpose of documenting the 2024 to 2026 ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh and the subsequent persecution following the political exile of Sheikh Hasina, the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, and the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026, 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 unrelated to religious hostility, it will be revised or removed from the hate crime database. The calculated intrusion into the Gosaildanga Sri Sri Shmashan Kali Bari temple and the removal of valuables associated with the deity and the temple's religious functioning reflected the continuing vulnerability of Hindu religious institutions in Bangladesh. The attack affected the sanctity of the temple and interfered with the religious sentiments of the devotees connected to it. The incident joins a growing number of cases in which Hindu places of worship have faced attacks affecting their security, sanctity, and continuity of worship during a period of sustained anti-Hindu hostility. Given Bangladesh's sustained anti-Hindu persecution environment, this case meets all thresholds for inclusion in the Hinduphobia Tracker's hate crime database.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
