Hindu temple targeted, idol of Goddess Manasa vandalised in Jessore amidst rising attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh
Jessore District, Bangladesh 
24 July, 2026
Case Summary
A Hindu temple named Mata Raj Nandini Harikali Durga and Manasa Temple, located in Chanchra Barmanpara under Jessore Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh, was targeted by unidentified miscreants. The accused vandalised the idol of Maa Manasa Devi and stole cash, gold ornaments, and other worship items. The incident occurred during the night of 25th July 2026, raising concerns among the local Hindu community over the safety and security of their places of worship. According to media reports, Sujan Sarkar (48), a director of the temple management committee, lodged a complaint at Jessore Kotwali Model Police Station on 26th July 2026. In his complaint, he stated that the miscreants broke the lock of the temple's main gate late at night on 25 July 2026, entered the premises, vandalised the idol of Maa Manasa Devi, and stole valuables kept inside the temple. The stolen items included bronze and brass bells used for worship, bronze lamps, panchapradeep (five-wick ceremonial lamps), ritual utensils, 4–5 gold ornaments weighing approximately four annas, a silver crown weighing around four bharis, and about 30,000 Bangladeshi Taka from the temple's donation box. Following the incident, the temple authorities informed the police. Based on the complaint, Jessore Kotwali Model Police Station initiated an investigation into the incident and commenced the process of taking necessary legal action. 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: 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. The other sub-category 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. This case constitutes a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime because the perpetrators deliberately targeted a Hindu place of worship, desecrated the sacred idol of a Hindu deity, and stole articles dedicated to religious worship. The attack was not confined to ordinary theft or vandalism. By violating a Hindu temple and damaging an object held sacred by devotees, the perpetrators struck at the religious beliefs, identity, and collective dignity of the Hindu community. In Hinduism, a murti (idol) is not regarded as a mere sculpture or artistic representation but as the consecrated embodiment of the deity following the performance of Prana Pratishtha, the sacred ritual through which divine presence is invoked into the idol. Devotees worship the murti as the living manifestation of the deity, offering prayers, flowers, lamps, food, and other rituals as acts of devotion. In this case, the desecrated idol was that of Maa Manasa Devi, a widely revered Hindu goddess associated with protection, fertility, prosperity, and relief from snake-related afflictions. For devotees, Maa Manasa is an object of profound faith and reverence, and her idol serves as the focal point of worship and religious observance. The deliberate vandalism of the idol therefore amounted to far more than damage to physical property. It constituted an assault on a sacred religious symbol that Hindus regard as embodying the divine presence. Such acts inflict deep emotional and spiritual injury upon devotees, violate their religious sentiments, and undermine their ability to practise their faith with dignity and security. By intentionally desecrating the idol of a Hindu deity inside a temple, the perpetrators demonstrated hostility towards the Hindu faith itself, making this a clear case of a religiously motivated hate crime. The targeting of the temple further reinforces the religious nature of the offence. A Hindu temple is not merely a physical structure but a sacred space where devotees gather to worship, celebrate festivals, perform rituals, preserve religious traditions, and strengthen their spiritual and cultural identity. The sanctity of the temple is inseparable from the consecrated deities enshrined within it. An attack on the temple or its idols therefore extends beyond physical damage and disrupts the religious life of the community that worships there. By breaking into the Mata Raj Nandini Harikali Durga and Manasa Temple and desecrating the idol housed within it, the perpetrators violated a place held sacred by Hindus and attacked the community's right to worship without fear or intimidation. The theft of ornaments and ritual objects from the temple likewise carried significance beyond their monetary value. The gold ornaments adorning the deity, the silver crown, the bells, lamps, panchapradeep, and other ritual utensils were not ordinary possessions but articles dedicated to religious worship and used in the daily performance of sacred rituals. Their removal deprived devotees of objects intrinsically connected with temple worship and religious observances, diminishing the sanctity of the temple and interfering with established practices of devotion. The theft of cash from the donation box further targeted offerings voluntarily made by devotees for the maintenance of the temple and the continuation of religious activities, thereby compounding the assault on the institution itself. Taken together, the desecration of the idol, the violation of a Hindu temple, and the theft of articles dedicated to worship transformed this incident into far more than an ordinary burglary. The perpetrators targeted sacred symbols, religious spaces, and objects central to Hindu worship, thereby attacking the religious identity and dignity of the Hindu community. Such conduct clearly reflects hostility towards the Hindu faith and constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime. This incident also occurred against the backdrop of continuing anti-Hindu hostility in Bangladesh, where Hindu minorities have repeatedly faced attacks on temples, idol desecration, theft of sacred religious property, assaults, intimidation, land grabbing, forced displacement, and other forms of persecution. Such incidents have fostered widespread insecurity among Hindu communities and heightened concerns regarding the safety of their places of worship and religious symbols. Against this broader backdrop, the attack on Mata Raj Nandini Harikali Durga and Manasa Temple cannot be viewed as an isolated act of criminality but forms part of a continuing pattern of violence directed against Hindu religious institutions and the wider persecution of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh. At the time of writing this report, although the identities of the perpetrators are not established, this does not diminish the religiously motivated nature of the offence. The deliberate desecration of the idol of Maa Manasa Devi, the targeting of a Hindu temple, and the theft of articles dedicated to Hindu worship constitute an attack on religious symbols and spaces held sacred by Hindus. Therefore, this case fits the parameters of a religiously motivated hate crime and is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
