Hindu temple attacked and temple idols set ablaze by miscreants in Bangladesh amidst rampant Hindu persecution
Gaibandha District, Bangladesh 
1 September, 2025
Case Summary
In Sadullapur, located in the Gaibandha district in Bangladesh, a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Durga was attacked, and the idols of the Hindu deities were set ablaze. According to media reports, the incident took place on the night of 2nd September 2025, at around 2 AM, when a Hindu man noticed a fire inside the Durga temple. He raised the alarm, and other villagers rushed to the spot. By the time they arrived, all the idols in the temple had already been destroyed. A local Hindu villager stated, “The Murtis were being constructed inside the temple for the upcoming Durga Puja. Their construction was almost complete. In the midst of this, they were burned. We have no idea who is responsible.” The police did not arrest anyone in connection with the incident, but instead presented a different version before the media. Officer-in-Charge of Sadullapur Police Station, Tajuddin Khandakar, said, “There had been a feud between two groups concerning the temple management committee. This incident might have been connected to that issue. We are investigating the matter from all angles.” Due to the fire, the idols of Maa Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Ganesh were completely destroyed. The current president of the temple management committee, Kartik Chandra Das, said, “We have no idea who is behind this. The police promised us that they would take action against those responsible. But we will try our best to organise the Durga Puja this year.” This case serves as a stark reminder of the continued persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, which has only increased manifold since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024. After her violent ouster, Bangladesh plunged into chaos as Islamist extremists took 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. Reports have exposed how Muslim students forced around 60 Hindu teachers, professors, and government officials to resign. Exiled Bangladeshi activist Asad Noor has also revealed that the minority Hindu community is now being coerced into joining ‘Jamaat-e-Islami’. Hindu religious events have been repeatedly targeted. On 6th September, a procession carrying Lord Ganesha’s idol was attacked in Chittagong. Ahead of Durga Puja, multiple incidents of idol vandalism occurred, including attacks in Mymensingh, Pabna, Rajshahi, Kishoreganj, and Dhaka. On 29th November, a violent Muslim mob attacked three temples in Patharghata, Chittagong, immediately after Jumma Namaz. The crackdown on Hindu voices has also escalated. On 30th November, Hindu journalist Munni Saha was arrested in Dhaka. Muslim mob attacks have increased in Bangladesh, for example, on 22nd May 2025, a Muslim mob carried out arson attacks selectively on Hindu homes in Dahar Mashihati village in Abhaynagar upazila in Jessore district of Bangladesh. Even ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu and his aides have been targeted, and attempts have been made to ban ISKCON and suppress Hindu protests through sedition charges. These arbitrary actions point to a systematic pattern of persecution under Muhammad Yunus’s interim government.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category, which is- Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Desecration of Hindu religious symbols. 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. 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 exile, Muslim radicals 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 Muslim mob attacks. Amidst this, reports emerged of a Durga temple being attacked and its idols being set ablaze by a few unknown miscreants. This case has been added to the tracker as it targeted a temple—an institution of immense religious and spiritual significance in Hindu tradition. Temples are not merely physical structures; they are consecrated spaces regarded as embodiments of divine presence. Violence directed against such places is not a simple act of destruction but a manifestation of hostility towards Hindu beliefs and identity. Such incidents cause deep hurt to the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. The attack further involved the deliberate desecration of sacred Hindu symbols, including the burning of idols of Goddess Durga—one of which had been prepared for the forthcoming Durga Puja. In Hinduism, idols are not treated as mere artistic representations; they are venerated as manifestations of the divine. Their desecration constitutes a direct affront to the religious sentiments of Hindus and represents a profound act of disrespect towards Hinduism. Such actions are a result of deep-rooted hatred towards the Hindu community and their faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. As this assault was directed both at consecrated icons and at a sacred place of worship, it is classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against the Hindu community. Although the perpetrators remained unidentified, the act itself was rooted in hatred towards Hinduism and culminated in the desecration of revered idols. Accordingly, this incident is categorised in the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
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