Hindu home and temple set on fire by Muslims amidst large-scale persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

Case ID : 90a07b7 | Location : Madaripur District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Sun, 9 February, 2025

Case ID : 90a07b7

Madaripur District, Bangladesh

9 February, 2025

Hindu home and temple set on fire by Muslims amidst large-scale persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Attack on Temples

Case Summary

A Hindu man named Madhab Chandra Das's home and a Hindu temple named Radha Gobinda temple was set on fire by Muslims in Umedpur village in Madaripur district in Bangladesh. The Muslims used petrol and diesel to set fire to the Hindu man's home and the Hindu temple. The video of this incident was shared by an X handle named 'VHindus71' 'Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus', which went viral. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024, Bangladesh has plunged into chaos as Islamist extremists have taken 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 Hindu priests has exacerbated the situation, with Hindu minorities protesting across Bangladesh seeking justice.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This incident has been added to the tracker under two prime categories. The first is- Attack on Hindu religious representation. Under this, the sub-category 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. The second category under which this case has been placed is- Attack not resulting in death and within this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. The removal of Sheikh Hasina from power in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, escalated the persecution and marginalisation of the Hindu minority in the predominantly Islamic nation, intensifying what can be described as a silent genocide. Since her ouster, Islamists have carried out unchecked atrocities against Hindus, including physical violence, the destruction of temples and religious symbols, and the systematic displacement of Hindus from their ancestral lands. Hundreds of attacks on Hindu temples, shops, and businesses have been recorded following Sheikh Hasina's removal as Prime Minister. Many Hindus have been brutally murdered or injured in these assaults. Amidst this, Islamists set fire to Madhab Chandra Das's home and a Hindu temple named Radha Gobinda temple. It is crucial to emphasise that the Muslims involved in this act were fully aware that Hindu temples are sacred places of worship for Hindus. By deliberately targeting the temple, they knowingly sought to offend the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. The clear intent behind this was to intimidate, harass, or provoke Hindu worshippers. Such attacks represent a form of symbolic aggression against the Hindu community, driven by deep-seated hostility towards Hinduism. The act was primarily motivated by animosity towards Hindus and their faith. Moreover, the assault on the Hindu man was entirely unprovoked, with his religious identity being the sole reason for the violence. These incidents extend beyond individual attacks, serving as a broader assault on the Hindu community. The objective is clear—to intimidate, instil fear, and disrupt the unity and morale of the community. Rooted in an intrinsic hatred for Hinduism, this constitutes a form of religious harassment that warrants documentation in the tracker.