Kali Mata temple attacked and 7 idols beheaded in Bangladesh

Case Summary
In Bangladesh's Jamalpur district, extremists attacked the Mahashmashan Kali Mata Mandir, vandalising seven Hindu deity idols and stealing gold ornaments. The incident occurred in Sarishabari upazila and was discovered by temple president Uttam Kumar Tewari, who found the idols beheaded and the temple in disarray. He said, “We do not know who did this. However, we demand that the culprit be arrested immediately and brought to justice.” Visuals circulating on social media show the extent of destruction, with idols broken and thrown to the ground. Local police, army, and intelligence officials visited the site, and Additional SP Sohel Mahmud assured that legal action would follow an investigation. However, the culprits remain unidentified, and no arrests have been made. The attack is part of the ongoing pattern of violence against the Hindu community in Bangladesh.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the primary category 'Attack on Hindu religious representations' under two sub-categories. The first sub-category this case is being added to 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 sub-category this case is being added to 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. In this case, the Hindu place of worship in Bangladesh was vandalised and 7 murtis, an important representation of the Hindu faith, were beheaded. It is obvious that the idols being beheaded was a deliberate act of desecration and sacrilege. When such religious symbols and representations are desecrated in this manner, it signals the hostility the perpetrators held for the faith, its representations and its adherents. Such acts not only signal the intent to destroy representations of Hindu faith and therefore, the faith itself, but also the intent to unleash violence, driven by religious hostility, against the adherents of the faith. In this case, while the identity of the perpetrators remained unknown, it is also true that the act in itself constitutes a hate crime regardless of the identity of the perpetrators. However, the fact that this attack came amid the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Hindus must not be missed. On August 5th 2024, Bangladesh plunged into chaos after a successful coup ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, forcing her to flee the country as an enraged mob approached her residence. In the wake of the coup, Islamists exploited the unrest to launch violent attacks on the Hindu community, leading to numerous deaths, rapes, and the destruction of Hindu homes, shops, and temples, many of which were set on fire. Since then, the onslaught against Hindus has been constant and the ethnic cleansing has only intensified. When there is an ongoing ethnic cleansing based on religious identity, every crime in and of itself is assumed to be motivated by the same religious animosity even if there is a lack of specific religious marker in the immediate crime. During an ongoing ethnic cleansing, the dehumanisation of a people based on their religious identity and the normalisation of religious hostility drives the crimes committed against them even when there is a lack of stated religious motive. For the purpose of documenting the 2024 ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh, the Hinduphobia Tracker is assuming religious motivation ab initio. If a case is specifically and beyond reasonable doubt proven to be driven by motivations other than religious hostility, it will post-facto be removed from the hate crime database.

Case Status
Complaint filed

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown