200-year-old sacred banyan tree revered by local Hindus cut down in Bangladesh after being labelled ‘Shirk’ by Muslims
Madaripur District, Bangladesh 
5 May, 2025
Case Summary
In the village of Alam Mir Kandi in Shirakhara Union, Madaripur district of Bangladesh, a 200-year-old banyan tree, a symbol deeply revered by the local Hindu community, was cut down by Muslims after being labelled ‘Shirk’. The tree was a central site for local folk beliefs. Devotees from the Hindu community would gather under its canopy to light candles and make wishes, holding steadfast to the belief that the tree possessed miraculous powers. This longstanding tradition was abruptly disrupted when a group of Muslims chopped down the tree using axes and saws. The act followed a meeting where Muslim clerics declared the practice of worship under the tree as “shirk,” an Islamic term for praying to something other than Allah, considered a sin in Islam. Local Hindu residents expressed deep sorrow, stating that their simple act of lighting candles was never intended to offend anyone’s beliefs, and that dialogue could have resolved any misunderstandings. This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of targeted violence against the Hindu minority community in Bangladesh. The level of hostility and religious intolerance against Hindus in Bangladesh continues to escalate, with such attacks becoming alarmingly frequent, especially since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024. Since then, 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. At least 205 attacks on Hindu temples, shops, and businesses reported within just three days of Dhaka’s fall. 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. ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu and his aides have been targeted, while attempts to ban ISKCON and suppress Hindu protests through sedition charges highlight systematic persecution under Muhammad Yunus’s interim government. The lack of prompt action by the police further emboldens the perpetrators, which creates an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among Hindus in Bangladesh.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of: - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within it, the sub-category 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. This case falls within the realm of religiously motivated hate crime, targeting Hindu religious representation. The fatwa was issued by Muslims specifically because the local Hindu community engaged in devotional practices, such as lighting candles and offering prayers, under the banyan tree. In the Hindu faith, the banyan tree holds deep spiritual significance and is often revered as a living embodiment of divine presence. Such practices, far from being provocative, are rooted in centuries-old traditions that form the fabric of Hindu religious life. However, the Muslims labelled these acts as shirk, a grave sin in Islam, and issued a fatwa justifying the cutting of the tree. In Hinduism, religious representation extends beyond formal murtis (idols) and encompasses sacred natural elements such as trees, rivers, and groves, which are imbued with divine presence. The banyan tree in question was one such spiritual representation. Its veneration is part of a long-standing and peaceful tradition in which devotees light candles and make humble offerings in faith. By targeting this tree — a visible and deeply venerated religious symbol — and justifying its destruction through a fatwa labelling the practice as “shirk,” the perpetrators signalled their intolerance and hostility towards Hindu beliefs. This action, therefore, is not an isolated incident of property damage or religious disagreement. It reflects a religiously motivated hate crime. These kinds of attacks are not isolated but are part of a recurring pattern of religious hostility towards Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Time and again, Hindu religious sites and symbols have been destroyed and desecrated by members of the Muslim community. This stems from religious animosity that exists in Islam against idol worshippers like Hindus, as idol worship is forbidden in Islam. This results in Hindus being frequently targeted and attacked just for practising their own faith. Such attacks on sacred trees and temples are not just acts of vandalism; they are direct assaults on the religious identity of Hindus. It highlights an atmosphere of religious intolerance where Hindu minority communities live under constant threat to their faith and dignity. It underscores a deeply troubling trend where minority communities are denied the basic right to practice their faith in a Muslim-majority country, without fear of persecution or erasure of their sacred symbols. Disclaimer: It is important to clarify that the report does not specify the exact date when the tree was cut down by Muslims. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
