Anti-Hindu hatred on display: Muslim men thrash Durga Puja idols with sticks in Bangladesh
Bangladesh 
25 October, 2026
Case Summary
Durga Puja idols were desecrated by a group of Muslim men in Bangladesh. The perpetrators repeatedly struck the idols with sticks, smashing and tearing them apart. They also recorded the desecration and uploaded the video to social media. The incident came to light on 26 October 2026, when a video of the incident went viral on social media. The video showed a group of Muslim men striking the remains of Durga Puja idols with sticks after their immersion. The Muslim men were seen laughing as they struck and tore apart the remains of the idols. The incident sparked outrage among Hindu social media users, who condemned the act as a violation of their religious sentiments and disrespect towards a sacred Hindu deity. They also described the desecration as deliberate communal provocation and an attempt to incite hostility towards Hindus immediately after Durga Puja, a major Hindu religious festival. Some social media accounts stated that the perpetrators belonged to an organised Islamic group. However, the Hinduphobia Tracker team could not independently verify this information at the time of documentation. 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 after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024, continued after the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi in December 2025, and resurfaced 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 by a Muslim mob over false blasphemy allegations, after which his body was set ablaze. 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 incident constituted a clear example of a religiously driven hate crime, as the Muslim perpetrators deliberately thrashed and desecrated Hindu idols that had been used during the Durga Puja festival. Their actions targeted sacred religious symbols central to one of the most significant festivals in the Hindu faith. Durga Puja is a major Hindu religious festival dedicated to Goddess Durga, commemorating her victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura and symbolising the triumph of good over evil. Hindu idols hold profound religious significance, serving as sacred representations of deities and focal points of worship through which devotees express their reverence, devotion and spiritual connection with the divine. During Durga Puja, idols of Goddess Durga and her divine family, comprising Lord Kartikeya, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswati and Lord Ganesha, are worshipped with devotion. At the conclusion of the festival, these idols are carried in immersion processions and submerged in water bodies as part of the Visarjan (immersion) ritual, symbolising the farewell to the deities until their return the following year. This is an established Hindu religious tradition, and immersion does not erase the sacred significance associated with the idols or the devotion they represent. In this case, the Muslim perpetrators repeatedly struck and tore apart the remains of the idols with sticks while laughing, giggling and cheering. Their conduct went far beyond incidental damage or thoughtless mischief. The repeated blows directed at sacred Hindu representations, accompanied by visible amusement at their destruction, demonstrated blatant contempt for Hindu religious symbols and the sentiments of their adherents. Rather than treating the remains with respect, the perpetrators took pleasure in desecrating them. Such behaviour demonstrated a profound disregard for Hindu religious beliefs and traditions, with the deliberate destruction of objects associated with a major Hindu festival serving as a direct expression of religious hostility. The circulation of a video documenting the desecration on social media further exposed the act to a wider audience, extending the distress caused by the destruction of sacred Hindu symbols beyond the immediate incident. The footage also made the perpetrators' conduct publicly visible, allowing Hindu devotees to witness the desecration of objects associated with their faith. The deliberate and repeated destruction of the idols, coupled with the perpetrators' celebratory behaviour during the act, demonstrated hostility towards the Hindu faith and a disregard for the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. Taken together, these circumstances established the incident as a clear case of religiously driven hostility towards Hinduism. Since the incident met the parameters of a hate crime, it is being added to the Hinduphobia Tracker's hate crime database. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incident dates based on when a crime occurs, rather than when it is reported by the media or goes viral on social media. However, in this case, the exact date of the incident was not available. Hence, 26 October 2026, the date on which the video went viral on social media, has been selected as the indicative incident date for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
