Hindu Kali temple vandalised, its consecrated idols desecrated and displaced in Bogra, Bangladesh
Bogra District, Bangladesh 
24 September, 2026
Case Summary
In the Matihans village, under Bhatra Union in Nandigram upazila of Bogra, Bangladesh, a Daharpur Kalimata temple was vandalised and looted, while its consecrated idols were deliberately desecrated by unknown miscreants. The incident took place sometime after the temple priest, Khagendranath Pramanik, left the temple following the evening puja on 24 September 2026 and before he returned on the morning of 25 September 2026. Upon arriving at the temple, the priest found the donation box broken, the money inside missing and various articles in the temple scattered. Several puja items, including a brass bell, trident, brass kashi and brass plate, were also stolen. The vandalism also involved the displacement of consecrated idols of Hindu deities from the temple. One idol was found abandoned in a pond located next to the temple and was subsequently recovered by the priest during a search. Another idol was found in a paddy field beside the regional road connecting Matihans and Hatkorai. Following the discovery of the incident, members of the local Hindu community gathered at the temple and expressed anger over the vandalism, theft and desecration of the idols. A police team from Nandigram Police Station visited the temple after receiving information about the incident. Officer-in-Charge Tariqul Islam stated that representatives of the village had submitted a complaint regarding the vandalism and theft and that the matter was being investigated, with legal action to follow. This incident occurred against the broader backdrop of the historical persecution faced by Hindus in Bangladesh. While the Hindu minority has endured discrimination, targeted violence, and religious hostility over decades, such persecution has intensified in distinct spurts during periods of political and social instability. The latest major escalation began and continued after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024, followed by another surge after the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi in December 2025, and subsequently in the immediate aftermath of the 13th National Parliamentary Election in 2026. Following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, multiple incidents involving attacks on Hindu homes, temples and religious institutions were documented, alongside intimidation, arson and mob violence targeting Hindu localities. The Hinduphobia Tracker recorded 336 incidents involving the Hindu minority during this period, reflecting the scale of the escalation and the continuing vulnerability of Hindus in Bangladesh. A further spurt of violence followed the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a Muslim political activist and student leader known for his anti-Hindu and anti-India rhetoric, in December 2025. In the aftermath, Hindu communities were subjected to retaliatory violence, with Hindu homes and properties selectively attacked and several families forced to flee. Among the victims was Dipu Chandra Das, who was lynched and whose body was subsequently 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, further illustrating how existing hostility towards the Hindu minority intensified during moments of communal mobilisation. During the same period, posters and written material calling for the extermination of Hindus were also displayed in public spaces. Such rhetoric, when viewed alongside incidents of arson, vandalism, assault and targeted intimidation, reflected an environment in which hostility towards Hindus was not merely episodic but repeatedly resurfaced in more intense forms during periods of unrest. The most recent escalation followed the 13th National Parliamentary Election in 2026. In the immediate aftermath of the election results, Hindu families in districts including Noakhali, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Sylhet, Thakurgaon and Dinajpur faced attacks involving arson, looting, assault and vandalism of Hindu homes and temples. In several instances, Hindu properties were selectively targeted, and families were threatened with displacement. The present incident therefore occurred within a much longer history of persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, where hostility towards the community has persisted over time and intensified in repeated spurts. The latest cycle began after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and continued through subsequent periods of political and communal upheaval, leaving the Hindu minority increasingly vulnerable to targeted violence, intimidation and religious hostility.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. 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 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. This case was included in the Hinduphobia Tracker as a hate crime because the perpetrators specifically targeted a Hindu temple, vandalised its premises, broke open its donation box, and removed and displaced its consecrated idols from the sacred place of worship. The targeting of the temple and the physical removal and displacement of its sacred idols therefore directly affected Hindu religious worship and a place of profound significance to the local Hindu community. A Hindu temple is a consecrated place of worship where devotees gather to perform puja, offer prayers and offerings, and maintain their religious relationship with the deities worshipped there. The temple is therefore not merely a physical structure or ordinary property. Its sanctum, idols, worship articles and other objects used in religious practice form part of a sacred environment that holds deep spiritual and communal significance for Hindus. By entering the Daharpur Kalimata Temple, breaking the donation box, scattering articles inside the premises and removing idols from their place of worship, the perpetrators violated a space specifically maintained for Hindu religious practice. The treatment of the idols constituted their desecration and gave the incident a distinct religious dimension. In Hindu religious practice, consecrated murtis are not regarded as ordinary objects but as sacred manifestations of the deities, occupying a designated place within the temple and serving as focal points of prayer, offerings and ritual worship. Removing these sacred idols from their established place of worship and abandoning them in a pond and an open field violated their sanctity and disrupted the religious setting in which they were revered. The desecration therefore went beyond damage to ordinary temple property and directly affected sacred Hindu religious symbols and practices. The incident involved the theft of money and articles associated with Hindu worship, but the manner in which the temple was targeted went beyond what would have been necessary to obtain material valuables. If the perpetrators' objective had been solely economic gain, they could have taken the money from the donation box and the valuable puja articles without deliberately vandalising the temple or removing and desecrating its sacred idols. Instead, they broke the donation box, scattered articles inside the temple, removed the idols from their established place of worship and abandoned them outside the temple premises. This deliberate violation of a Hindu place of worship and desecration of its sacred religious symbols demonstrated hostility towards Hinduism and its places of worship, giving the incident a clear religious dimension beyond the theft of material property. Even without the perpetrators' religious identity being confirmed in this case, their fixation on desecrating a Hindu temple and its idols demonstrated deep-seated anti-Hindu animosity as the driving force behind the crime. This was no random act but a premeditated strike rooted in hatred for the Hindu faith and identity. Accordingly, this case has been 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 
