Idols of Hindu deities prepared for Durga Puja vandalised at Hindu temple in Jhenaidah, Bangladesh
Jhenaidah District, Bangladesh 
8 October, 2026
Case Summary
In Shailkupa Upazila of Jhenaidah district, Bangladesh, several idols being prepared for the Durga Puja festival were vandalised by unidentified miscreants. The incident occurred at the Majumdarpara Durga Temple in Bogura Union No. 10 during the early hours of 9th October 2026, on the eve of Mahalaya. This occurred just two days before the beginning of the Sharadiya Navratri festival. Preparations for the Durga Puja were underway at the temple, with work on the idols still in progress. At around 8 am on 9th October, a woman who arrived to clean the temple discovered the vandalism. The miscreants had broken the hands, elbows and various other body parts of several idols under construction. Tanmay Majumdar, general secretary of the temple committee, stated that they suspected the incident might have occurred due to previous enmity or with the intention of disrupting communal harmony. However, the actual reason behind the vandalism and the identities of those responsible had not been established at the time of documentation. Members of the temple committee and local Hindu devotees expressed anger and concern over the incident. They demanded a fair investigation, the swift identification of those involved, and that those responsible be brought within the purview of the law. The incident was brought to the attention of the local administration and law enforcement agencies. The vandalism ahead of Sharadiya Durga Puja caused further concern among the local Hindu community, with residents calling on the administration to take effective measures to ensure the security of religious places of worship and Hindu idols. 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 ?
The primary category selected in this case is: Attack on Hindu religious representations. The subcategory selected is: Desecration of Hindu religious symbols. Icons and symbols, or religious representations 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 the 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 a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime, as several idols of Hindu deities being prepared for the Durga Puja festival were vandalised just days before the festival. The deliberate destruction of these sacred representations of Hindu deities ahead of a major Hindu religious festival demonstrated religious hostility and an attack on the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. Durga Puja is one of the most significant festivals in Hinduism, dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga and celebrating the triumph of divine power over evil. The festival holds immense religious and spiritual significance for Hindus, who gather to offer prayers, perform rituals and seek the blessings of the Goddess. Idols of Goddess Durga and other associated deities are central to these celebrations, serving as sacred representations through which devotees offer worship and express their devotion. Their preparation is itself an integral part of the religious observances leading up to the festival, with artisans constructing the idols for installation and worship during the celebrations. The vandalisation of idols of Hindu deities constituted the desecration of sacred religious symbols of Hinduism. The idols were being prepared for worship during Durga Puja, and the deliberate breaking of their hands, elbows and other body parts demonstrated blatant disregard for their religious significance and the sentiments of Hindu devotees. The act reflected hostility towards Hindu beliefs and traditions, as well as contempt for the sacred representations through which devotees express their faith and devotion. The fact that the vandalism took place inside the Majumdarpara Durga Temple further aggravated the offence. The temple was where preparations for Durga Puja were underway, with the idols being constructed specifically for worship during the festival. A Hindu temple is a sacred space where devotees worship deities, perform rituals and uphold religious traditions. The temple, its idols and the religious practices observed within its premises form an interconnected religious ecosystem. By vandalising the idols inside the temple, the perpetrators targeted both sacred representations of Hindu deities and the religious traditions associated with the place of worship. The act therefore constituted an attack on a Hindu religious space and its sacred practices, undermining the sanctity of the temple and the community's right to observe its traditions without interference. The timing of the incident further underscored its religious significance. The idols were vandalised on 9th October 2026, just two days before the beginning of the Sharadiya Navratri festival, when preparations for Durga Puja were underway. By deliberately targeting idols intended for worship during the upcoming festival, the perpetrators disrupted religious preparations and created obstacles for the Hindu community's observances. The destruction of these idols immediately before the celebrations threatened to cause distress among devotees and interfere with their ability to observe an important religious occasion. The specific targeting of objects prepared for Durga Puja, at such a crucial time, demonstrated hostility towards Hindu religious practices and the festival itself. The incident also occurred in Bangladesh, where the Hindu minority has faced decades of communal violence and persecution, including attacks on temples, desecration of idols, killings, assaults and forced religious conversions. Such incidents have repeatedly threatened the community's ability to practise and preserve its faith. The situation became a particular cause for concern following Sheikh Hasina's departure from power and the political upheaval in August 2024, during which Hindu communities and their places of worship faced attacks. Against this broader backdrop, the vandalisation of idols being prepared for Durga Puja reflected a pattern of attacks targeting Hindu religious symbols and places of worship in Bangladesh. The incident further heightened concerns over the security of Hindu religious institutions and the community's ability to observe its traditions without fear of targeted hostility. At the time of documentation, the identities of the perpetrators had not been established. Nevertheless, the deliberate vandalisation of Hindu idols being prepared for a major religious festival inside a Hindu temple demonstrated hostility towards Hindu religious symbols and practices. Therefore, this case is being added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
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