Case Summary

A Hindu temple located in Sarkar Market under the jurisdiction of Hathazari Police Station in Chattogram commonly known as Chittagong district in Bangladesh, was found vandalised. Local Hindus discovered that the gate and a portion of the wall of the Sri Sri Jwalakumari Mata temple had been broken. Upon further inspection, it was found that valuable ornaments adorning the deity's idol had been stolen, and the temple's donation box had been forcibly opened with all the money taken. This incident was reported as Hindus are being persecuted in the Islamic nation of Bangladesh, especially after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024. Taking advantage of the political turmoil to unleash a wave of terror and violence against the Hindu community, the Islamist mobs have attacked Hindu homes, burned them to the ground, and abducted women in a horrific descent into anarchy. Several temples have been destroyed in various parts of the Islamic country in a major crackdown on Hindus. Further, the arrest of three Hindu priests, attempts to ban the Hindu organisation ISKCON and stifling Hindu protests with cases of ‘sedition’ highlight systematic persecution under the interim government of Muhammad Yunus. There have been multiple instances of attacks on Hindus under the pretext of ‘blasphemy.’ The recent cases of Hridoy Pal, Utsab Mandal, Partha Biswas Pintu, Akash Das, Pranta Talukder and Utsab Kumar Gian are shining examples of targeted persecution. So far, there have been many attempts to downplay violence against Hindus as ‘fake‘, ‘exaggerated‘ or ‘politically motivated‘.

Why it is Hate Crime ?