Hindu religious sentiments mocked: Cow's severed head placed in a Hindu temple in Bangladesh
Brahmanbaria District, Bangladesh 
8 June, 2025
Case Summary
A Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Shamshan Kali in Bangladesh was desecrated when a severed cow’s head was placed within the temple grounds by a group of Muslim individuals. A video of this incident subsequently went viral on social media. The event occurred on 9th June 2025 in Shahbazpur village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Sorail Police Station in the Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh. A few Muslim miscreants entered the Kali temple and placed the severed cow’s head inside the premises. Following this, they fled the spot. This incident in one of the several incidents 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 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. 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-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 other subcategory is- Defiling religious customs. Sanatan Dharma is not a religion of one book, which is to say that while it has religious scriptures that form the central tenets of the faith, there are several traditions followed through thousands of years, mostly passed from generation to generation orally. There are several such customs and traditions that are followed by various Hindus and Hindu sects. Defiling of these traditions and customs is a breach of an individual or group’s religious practices. Such practices can range from dietary restrictions like not eating non-vegetarian food for a certain period of the year, not eating non-vegetarian food at all, not eating beef since the cow is considered holy in Hinduism, the sanctity of religious customs followed in the house (like many ISCKON devotees), etc. Any malicious action leading to the breach of such traditions or defilement of these traditions owing to animosity towards the faith or for the sake of activism stems not only from the lack of faith in the religion itself but also from disregard for the faith of the devotees who follow the customs/traditions and implicit bias against the faith, the tradition itself. Since these specific traditions are central to the faith of the devotees of that specific sect of Hindus, any non-compliance with these traditional rules would 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, news emerged of Muslims placing a severed cow's head inside a Hindu temple of goddess Kali in Shahbazpur village of the Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh. This incident constitutes a hate crime, as it involved the deliberate placement of a severed cow's head inside a Hindu temple by Muslim extremists in Bangladesh. In Hinduism, temples are sacred spaces of worship, and the deities are revered with deep respect. An act of temple defilement, as demonstrated in this case, is regarded as deeply offensive and sacrilegious to Hindus. Such actions reflect a profound disregard for the Hindu faith and its practices, rooted in underlying animosity towards Hinduism. This incident exemplifies an intentional effort to insult religious sentiments, warranting its classification as a crime motivated by hatred towards Hindus and their faith. It cannot be regarded merely as a breach of law and order, but rather as a calculated attempt to dishonour Hindu religious customs, especially those related to temple purity and ritual observance. This act of placing a cow's severed head inside Hindu temples highlights that the Muslim perpetrators' behaviour reflects not only insensitivity but a conscious and targeted affront to deeply held Hindu religious sentiments, and therefore must be seen in the broader context of communal intimidation. Such acts fall under the ambit of religiously motivated hate crimes because they violate the dignity of Hindus by deliberately defiling their sacred temples. Such acts of temple defilement are a stark example of intolerance and hatred faced by the Hindu community at the hands of Muslim extremists in Bangladesh. In Hinduism, the cow is also considered sacred and revered as a symbol of life and nurturing. Historically, cow slaughter was an act committed by Muslims to deliberately insult and intimidate the Hindu community. Cow slaughter was used as a tool to humiliate Hindus, desecrate their religious shrines, and forcefully convert them. This reflects a historical pattern of using cow slaughter as a means to impose superiority over Hindus and demean their faith, religious customs, and sacred shrines. Since this act stemmed from religious animosity towards Hinduism and resulted in the defilement and desecration of a sacred temple, it should be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime and included in the Hinduphobia Tracker within the hate crime database.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
