Hindu boy assaulted by Bangladeshi army while safeguarding Hindu temple against Muslim mob

Case ID : ef655c0 | Location : Dhaka, Dhaka District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Sun, 22 June, 2025

Case ID : ef655c0

Dhaka, Dhaka District, Bangladesh

22 June, 2025

Hindu boy assaulted by Bangladeshi army while safeguarding Hindu temple against Muslim mob

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save victim

Case Summary

In Khilkhet, Dhaka, Bangladesh, a Hindu boy named Timpol Paul was beaten by the Bangladeshi army after he opposed and recorded the demands of a Muslim mob calling for the demolition of a Hindu temple. Hinduphobia Tracker reported that the temple, dedicated to the goddess Durga, known as the Sri Sri Durga Mandir, was targeted by a Muslim mob. The Islamists laid siege to the temple and demanded its removal, threatening to demolish it if their demands were not met. During this incident, Timpol attempted to protect the temple and record the Muslim mob’s radical demands. In response, he was manhandled and beaten by members of the Bangladeshi army. A video of Timpol describing his ordeal went viral on social media. In the video, he stated that he was manhandled, harassed and beaten by the army when he tried to protest against the Muslim mob and record their actions. He said, “They (Muslim mob) were demanding the demolition of my temple. Could I not even oppose it or record it?” The incident sparked public anger among local Hindus. In the viral video, another Hindu man was heard shouting in frustration, stating, “Efforts are being made to destroy the unity of Hindus.” He also challenged the false narrative that was being circulated globally that there is no oppression of Hindus in Bangladesh. On the contrary, he asserted that there is ongoing and active persecution of the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Timpol in the video further questioned, “How could they vandalise a temple like this? When the authorities questioned why I was recording a video, why didn’t they first answer how such vandalism and calls for demolition were allowed to happen to a Hindu temple?” This case serves as a stark reminder 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 not resulting in death. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Attacked for opposing radicals or trying to save the victim. In several cases, Hindus are attacked for opposing religiously motivated crimes being committed against a fellow Hindu or simply for voicing an opinion opposing radical elements, who either have in the past or continue to persecute Hindus. In such cases, the initial attack against the victim, against which the Hindu was trying to defend the victim, would also need to be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime. Since the initial crime itself was religiously motivated and the subsequent crime of attempting to save the victim or speaking against the radical elements ends up inviting a violent attack, it would also be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. 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, reports emerged of a Hindu boy being beaten and manhandled by the Bangladeshi army for opposing the demolition of a Hindu temple by a Muslim mob and for recording their actions. The incident in Khilkhet, Dhaka, where Timpol Paul, a Hindu local, was beaten by the Bangladeshi army for opposing and recording the demands of a Muslim mob seeking the demolition of the Sri Sri Durga Mandir, is a blatant example of a hate crime against Hindus. This act is not an isolated event but forms part of a broader and deeply entrenched pattern of anti-Hindu violence and systemic persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. The targeting of the Sri Sri Durga Mandir by a Muslim mob, who laid siege to the temple and threatened its destruction, unequivocally demonstrates the religious animosity directed towards the Hindu minority. When Timpol, a local Hindu, attempted to protect his place of worship and document the Muslim mob’s radical demands, he was not only confronted by the aggressors but also violently attacked by the state institution, the Bangladeshi army, entrusted to protect all citizens. The army’s decision to beat and harass Timpol for peacefully opposing the Muslim mob and recording their actions exposes a profound and institutionalised bias within the Bangladeshi state and its security forces towards the Hindu community. Instead of upholding the rights of a vulnerable minority, the Bangladeshi Hindus, the army acted in alignment with the Muslim mob’s objectives, effectively endorsing their campaign of intimidation and the destruction of a sacred Hindu temple. In countless such cases of crimes against Hindus in Bangladesh, the state’s response has been gravely insufficient or, even more troubling, openly complicit, with security forces either standing by or directly participating in the oppression, as illustrated by Timpol’s ordeal. This ongoing pattern of impunity emboldens Muslim perpetrators and perpetuates a climate of fear, ensuring that the Hindu minority remains intimidated and unable to practise their faith openly. The army’s actions also send a dangerous and unequivocal message that acts of religious violence against Hindus will not be met with serious consequences. In conclusion, the assault on Timpol Paul and the attack on the Sri Sri Durga Mandir are not isolated incidents but are part of a sustained and systematic campaign of hate crimes and persecution against Hindus in Bangladesh. The involvement of the army in suppressing a Hindu boy for defending his faith and documenting the injustice lays bare the entrenched religious bias within the state machinery of Bangladesh. As this case involves violence against a Hindu boy for defending his place of worship, it is being included in the hate crime database.