Hindu temples targeted, sacred idols vandalised by miscreants amidst ongoing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh
Madaripur District, Bangladesh 
5 August, 2026
Case Summary
In Madaripur Sadar Upazila, Madaripur, Bangladesh, Hindu sentiments were hurt after two Hindu places of worship, Shri Shri Ganesh Pagal Temple and Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple, were targeted during the night. Unidentified miscreants entered the temple premises in the Parbat Bagan Dighirpar area of Mostafapur Union, vandalised the temples, damaged temple structures, and broke the idols of Hindu deities installed inside. Hindu devotees discovered the vandalised idols on the morning of 6 August 2026 when they arrived at the temples to offer prayers. As news of the incident spread across the area, members of the local Hindu community gathered at the temple premises. Local Hindu residents stated that religious activities had been conducted peacefully at the temples for a long time and demanded that those responsible be identified and arrested at the earliest. The incident created fear and anxiety among the local Hindu community, prompting Hindu residents to seek stronger security for Hindu places of worship. After receiving information about the incident, law enforcement personnel visited the site and initiated an investigation. Officials stated that legal action would be taken against those responsible after completion of the investigation. The escalation of violence against Hindus and their places of worship 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 ?
The primary category for this case is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory for 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 themselves are sacred, since they hold that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the deity's divine energy. 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 other 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 constitutes a religiously motivated hate crime because two Hindu places of worship, Shri Shri Ganesh Pagal Temple and Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple, were deliberately targeted during the night, and the idols of Hindu deities installed inside them were vandalised. The attack was directed at places that are central to Hindu religious life, causing disruption to worship and hurting the religious sentiments of the local Hindu community. In Hinduism, a temple is the sacred abode of the deity. After the ritual of Prana Pratishtha, the deity is believed to reside in the consecrated idol, making both the idol and the temple premises sacred. Hindus worship these idols as living manifestations of the divine, and temples serve as places for daily prayers, rituals, festivals, and other religious observances. Deliberately damaging consecrated idols therefore amounts to an attack on Hindu faith itself, not merely on physical property. The vandalism carried significance far beyond the destruction of idols and temple structures. By entering two Hindu temples under the cover of darkness and desecrating sacred idols, the perpetrators interfered with the ability of Hindus to worship freely and peacefully. Such acts caused fear, distress, and insecurity among Hindu devotees and undermined the sanctity of places that hold deep religious importance for the community. This incident also occurred amidst the continuing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, where Hindu temples, idols, and other religious institutions have repeatedly been subjected to vandalism, desecration, arson, intimidation, and attacks. Viewed in this wider context, the targeting of two Hindu temples in a single incident formed part of the continuing pattern of attacks on Hindu religious institutions. It contributed to the atmosphere of fear and insecurity faced by the Hindu community. At the time of writing this report, the identities and motives of the perpetrators had not been established. However, the absence of identified accused does not diminish the religious nature of the offence.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
