Hindu temple targeted in bomb attack during puja ceremony in Bangladesh, devotees injured amidst ongoing persecution of Hindus

Case ID : d327b7e | Location : Comilla District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Fri, 6 March, 2026

Case ID : d327b7e

Comilla District, Bangladesh

6 March, 2026

Hindu temple targeted in bomb attack during puja ceremony in Bangladesh, devotees injured amidst ongoing persecution of Hindus

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Attack on Temples

Defiling religious customs

Attack not resulting in death

Attack against Hindu devotees

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

In Comilla, Bangladesh, a Hindu temple was targeted in a bomb attack during a puja ceremony by some unknown miscreants. The attack left several devotees injured, including the temple’s chief priest, Keshav Chakraborty. The incident occurred on the evening of 7 March 2026 near the Kalagachitola temple (also reported as Kankalitala temple) when Hindu devotees had gathered for a puja ceremony. During this time, a masked individual carrying a bag entered the temple premises at around 6:28 pm. CCTV footage later showed the individual placing the bag near the worship area before fleeing the scene. Moments later, an explosion occurred, triggering panic and chaos among the Hindu devotees present in the ceremony. The blast caused serious injuries to three people, including the temple's chief priest, Keshav Chakraborty and a passerby named Abdul Barek. The injured were rushed to the hospital, where Chakraborty was reported to have sustained serious injuries. The explosions triggered a stampede-like situation as devotees ran for safety. Reports indicated that multiple crude or petrol bombs were used in the attack, with at least one explosive device detonating inside or near the temple premises. Additional explosives were also thrown on a nearby road as the attackers fled the area, further heightening fear among residents. The blasts occurred in a locality that had multiple religious sites, including Hindu temples, a Buddhist temple, and a mosque, intensifying concerns about the potential impact on communal relations. The attack occurred during an active religious gathering, when devotees had assembled for the puja ceremony, increasing the risk of casualties. Police officials in Comilla confirmed that the explosions injured three individuals and that an investigation had been launched. Superintendent of Police Mohammad Anisuzzaman stated that security agencies had begun search operations to identify and apprehend those responsible. The Station House Officer of Kotwali Model Police Station, Md. Tauhidul Anwar confirmed that CCTV footage from the site had been obtained and was being analysed as part of the investigation. Authorities also reported recovering evidence from the location, including a bag and other materials believed to have been used during the attack. This attack comes at a time when Hindus are facing a fresh wave of attacks in Bangladesh following 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 has been added to the tracker under the primary category of - Attack on Hindu religious representations. Within it, the sub-category 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 selected 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 other primary category selected here is - Attack not resulting in death. Within it, the sub-category selected is - Attack on Hindu devotees. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The other sub-category selected here is - Attack for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. This case stood as a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime because a Hindu temple in Comilla was targeted in a bomb attack during an ongoing puja ceremony. The bomb attack took place when Hindu devotees had gathered at the Kalagachitola temple to perform religious rituals, and the attack at the temple premises disrupted the ceremony and caused injuries among those present. Targeting a place of worship during a religious gathering demonstrated a deliberate intrusion into a sacred Hindu space at a moment of devotion, rather than an incidental act of violence. The temple as an institution holds immense spiritual importance in the Hindu faith. For Hindus, temples are not mere 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. This deliberate violation of a sacred Hindu space marks a clear instance of a religiously motivated hate crime. The timing of the attack during a puja ceremony further underscored the gravity of the act. Puja is a central element of Hindu religious practice involving prayers, offerings, and collective participation by devotees in honour of the deity. Disrupting such a ceremony through a violent act not only halted the ritual itself but also amounted to the desecration of an ongoing act of worship. By striking at the temple during a moment of active devotion, the attackers interfered with established Hindu religious customs and practices, undermining the sanctity of the ritual and the spiritual environment in which it was being performed. The attack also resulted in physical harm to the Hindu devotees present at the temple. The devotees had gathered at the temple solely to participate in a peaceful act of religious devotion, yet they became victims of violence within the very space meant for spiritual refuge and worship. The fact that Hindu devotees engaged in active religious observance were injured during the attack underscored that the violence extended beyond the desecration of a religious site to the targeting of Hindus practising their faith. In a Muslim-majority country such as Bangladesh, where the Hindu community constitutes a religious minority, such an attack heightened existing vulnerabilities and reinforced the climate of insecurity faced by Hindus while exercising their religious freedoms. The injuries inflicted upon devotees during the ceremony, therefore, highlighted how the act of violence directly endangered members of the Hindu community gathered for worship, transforming a sacred moment of collective devotion into one of fear and harm. Taken together, the bombing of the temple during an ongoing puja ceremony represented more than an isolated act of violence; it reflected a direct assault on the religious freedom, dignity, and security of the Hindu community. By targeting a sacred place of worship at a time of worship, the perpetrators disrupted a religious practice and inflicted both physical and psychological harm on those present. Such incidents deepen the sense of vulnerability among Hindu minorities and contribute to an atmosphere of fear surrounding the practice of their faith. In this case, although the miscreants were unknown, the action stemmed from hatred against Hinduism and resulted in the disruption of the puja ceremony. Therefore, this case is being categorised under the hate crime database of the Hinduphobia Tracker. Disclaimer: Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents of hate crimes against Hindus. In this case, although three individuals were reported injured in the explosion, one of them, Abdul Barek, was not a Hindu. Therefore, he has not been included in the victim count. Accordingly, the victim count has been recorded as two.