Ancient Hindu temple desecrated and looted in by miscreants in Bangladesh amidst ongoing persecution of Hindu minorities
Mymensingh District, Bangladesh 
24 June, 2026
Case Summary
In a fresh incident of anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, a historic Kali temple in Tarakanda upazila of Mymensingh district was targeted, where perpetrators vandalised sacred idols, damaged temple property, and looted valuables from the premises. The attack was directed at a public Hindu place of worship that served as a centre of religious and community life for local Hindu devotees. The incident took place during the early hours of 25th June 2026 at the public Sri Sri Kali Temple of the late Manmohan Debnath (Chinta) Mahasoy in Nathpara village of Ramchandrapur under Tarakanda Union No. 1 in Tarakanda upazila, Mymensingh. According to local sources, between approximately 1:00 am and 4:00 am, a group of unidentified miscreants entered the temple premises under the cover of darkness. After entering the temple, the perpetrators vandalised the idols of Hindu gods and goddesses housed inside the shrine. They also damaged furniture and other property within the temple premises. In addition to the vandalism, the attackers looted valuables and other items kept in the temple before fleeing the scene. The attack came to light the following morning when local Hindus discovered the damage and desecration inside the temple. News of the vandalism and looting spread rapidly across the area, causing anger, shock, and panic among local Hindu devotees and followers of the traditional religion. Following the incident, the Bangladesh National Hindu Students' Union, Mymensingh District Branch, strongly condemned the attack and staged protests against the vandalism of the temple. In a statement issued after the incident, the organisation demanded that those responsible for the attack be immediately identified and brought to justice. The organisation also called upon the local administration to ensure that similar communal incidents did not recur in the future. Leaders of the Hindu Students' Union and members of the local Hindu community urged the authorities to take swift and strict measures to protect Hindu places of worship and maintain religious harmony in the greater Mymensingh region. They also demanded a proper investigation into the vandalism and looting at the Kali temple. The attack occurred against the backdrop of continuing violence and insecurity faced by the Hindu minority community in Bangladesh. 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 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 - 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. Another subcategory selected for this case 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. In this case, the public Sri Sri Kali Temple in Nathpara village of Tarakanda upazila, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, was targeted when perpetrators entered the sacred premises during the night, vandalised the idols of Hindu gods and goddesses, damaged temple property, and looted valuables from within the shrine. 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 vandalism, desecration, theft, and intimidation. The attack 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 was 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 forcibly entering the temple and carrying out acts of vandalism and looting within its premises, the perpetrators violated a site 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 criminality 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 deliberate vandalism of the idols of Hindu gods and goddesses housed inside the temple. In Hinduism, consecrated idols are not regarded as mere artistic objects or decorative statues. Through the sacred ritual of Prana Pratishtha, the deity is invoked into the murti, and the idol comes to embody the divine presence itself. Devotees worship these sacred images as living manifestations of the deity and offer prayers, flowers, lamps, food, and other acts of devotion before them. Consequently, the destruction or desecration of consecrated idols amounts to far more than damage to physical objects; it constitutes an attack on symbols that millions of Hindus regard as embodiments of the divine. By vandalising the idols inside the temple, the perpetrators directly violated objects of profound religious significance and inflicted deep emotional and spiritual injury upon the Hindu devotees connected to the shrine. The third religious marker was the looting of valuables from within the temple premises. Objects and valuables kept inside a temple, including offerings made by devotees and items used in the maintenance and functioning of the shrine, carry religious significance because they are intimately connected to acts of worship and devotion. The removal of such items directly affected the religious life of the temple and interfered with its functioning as a place of worship. Consequently, the incident transcended ordinary theft and assumed a distinctly religious dimension because it disrupted the sanctity and functioning of a Hindu place of worship. The targeting of the public Sri Sri Kali 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 public Sri Sri Kali Temple, the desecration of consecrated idols, and the looting of valuables associated with 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 and spiritual life 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.
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Perpetrators Details
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