Hindu temple set ablaze, deity's idol desecrated by miscreants in Bangladesh amidst ongoing persecution of Hindus
Narayanganj District, Bangladesh 
21 February, 2026
Case Summary
In the Saoghat West Manipara area of Golakandail Union, Rupganj, Narayanganj district, Bangladesh, a Hindu temple named Sri Sri Rakhakali Temple was set ablaze by a few miscreants. The attackers also desecrated a sacred temple idol of Goddess Saraswati. According to media reports, this incident happened at midnight on 22 February 2026. The news of the vandalism spread, causing panic and anxiety among the local Hindu community. Regarding this incident, temple management committee president Kalipada Das said that around 12:15 am, 8 to 10 miscreants entered the temple premises with iron pipes, sticks and indigenous weapons. They vandalised the Saraswati idol in the temple and destroyed various items, including chairs, cooking pots, and electric lights. He also stated that they looted gold ornaments weighing about two tons from the idol. Kalipada Das also said that the attackers later poured flammable material and set the temple on fire. This burnt various items inside the temple. When people in the vicinity came forward after hearing the sound of vandalism, the attackers quickly fled the scene. Kalipada Das stated that the incident was planned. He said that a case had been going on in the court for a long time with a Muslim man named Zakir Hossain of the nearby Singla area regarding the temple land. He mentioned that he himself had been threatened with intimidation and attack before. Zakir Hossain denied the allegations. He said that the land issue was pending in court, and he wanted a solution through legal means. He also stated that he or his family had no involvement in the attack on the temple. Zakir stated that a group was deliberately trying to implicate his name. Police inspected the scene after receiving the information. Narayanganj District Assistant Superintendent of Police (C Circle) Mehedi Hasan said that the temple authorities filed a written complaint. Efforts were underway to identify and arrest those involved. The incident was under investigation. The situation in the area was tense after the attack. Locals demanded that the culprits be brought to justice quickly and that security at the temple be strengthened. A fresh wave of anti-Hindu violence followed the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026 in Bangladesh, reinforcing a recurring pattern of post-poll violence targeting Hindu minorities. Within days of the announcement of results, Hindu families in districts such as Noakhali, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Sylhet, Thakurgaon, and Dinajpur reported coordinated attacks involving arson, looting, assault, and vandalism of temples and homes. In several instances, Hindu homes were selectively targeted, looted, and families were threatened with displacement. This escalation of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh unfolded in three distinct phases: first, following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024; second, after the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi in December 2025; and third, in the immediate aftermath of the 13th National Parliamentary Election 2026. This electoral violence unfolded against the broader backdrop of sustained anti-Hindu hostility that had persisted since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024. During that period, multiple reports documented attacks on Hindu homes, temples, and religious institutions, alongside intimidation campaigns, arson, and mob assaults targeting minority neighbourhoods. The Hinduphobia tracker has recorded 336 such incidents against the Hindu minority, underscoring the scale and persistence of anti-Hindu violence during this period. A further escalation occurred following the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a Muslim political activist and student leader known for his anti-Hindu and anti-India rhetoric. Hadi had been involved in political unrest after the fall of the Hasina government and was killed in Dhaka on 18 December 2025 during clashes. In the aftermath of his death, Hindu communities were blamed and subsequently targeted in retaliatory violence. Hindu homes were selectively set ablaze in multiple localities, forcing families to flee and leaving many displaced. The attacks appeared patterned rather than sporadic, with Muslim mobs focusing on Hindu neighbourhoods, properties, and religious symbols. Among the victims was Dipu Chandra Das, who was lynched to death and his body was set ablaze by a Muslim mob over false blasphemy allegations. The Hinduphobia tracker documented 51 incidents of anti-Hindu violence in the period following Hadi’s death alone. Such incidents underscore the vulnerability of the Hindu minority amid rising communal hostility and the weaponisation of religious accusations. Reports further indicated that posters and written materials calling for the extermination of Hindus were displayed in public spaces, signalling an alarming normalisation of genocidal rhetoric. When combined with acts of arson, vandalism, assault, and targeted intimidation, these developments suggest a coordinated environment of hostility aimed at terrorising the Hindu community and reinforcing majoritarian dominance.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case is being added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack on Hindu religious representations. The 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 sub-category is- Desecration of a 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 a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. This case is being added to the tracker since the perpetrators targeted the Sri Sri Rakhakali Temple for arson and desecrated sacred temple idols. This temple stood as the beating heart of the local Hindu community's spiritual life in Saoghat West Manipara, Rupganj, a place where families gathered for solace, rituals, and connection to the divine. The attackers did not stumble upon it; they chose it deliberately at midnight on 22 February 2026, armed with iron pipes, sticks, and weapons, turning a haven of devotion into a nightmare of terror and outright rejection of the Hindu faith. Temples are not merely physical structures; they are sanctified spaces believed to embody the divine presence of Hindu deities. Acts of violence against such spaces are not isolated incidents of destruction but reflect underlying hostility towards Hindu beliefs and identity. In this case, the miscreants vandalised the Saraswati idol, destroyed temple items like chairs, cooking pots, and electric lights, looted gold ornaments, poured flammable material, and set the temple ablaze, burning various contents inside. This caused deep hurt to the religious sentiments of Hindus, making it a religiously motivated hate crime. In Hindu worship, idols of deities like Saraswati are regarded as living embodiments of the divine once consecrated; to smash, loot, and burn them is to commit an act of sacrilege that transcends ordinary vandalism. The deliberate desecration of these consecrated religious symbols was a profound act of sacrilege, designed to outrage Hindu devotees, undermine their faith, and publicly demean what they held sacred. The intrusion into the sanctum with weapons further violated the temple's dignity and physical integrity. The temple management committee president, Kalipada Das, linked this planned midnight attack to an ongoing land dispute in court with a Muslim man named Zakir Hossain from nearby Singla, noting prior threats against him. This context reveals a pattern where land conflicts escalate into targeted religious violence against Hindu sites in Bangladesh. The attack spread panic among locals, with prior intimidation suggesting premeditated hostility. As this assault was directed at both a sacred idol and a consecrated place of worship, it is classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against the Hindu community. In this case, although the miscreants remained unidentified, the action stemmed from hatred against Hinduism and resulted in the desecration of the sacred Hindu idols and temple. Therefore, it is added to the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: In this case, even though the temple management committee suspected the Muslim man Zakir Hossain's involvement in the temple desecration, currently, no evidence directly links the miscreants to Zakir Hossain. Hence, for documentation clarity, the perpetrator's identity is recorded as 'Unknown'.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Unknown
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
