Durga Mandir and Hindu shops attacked by Muslim mob armed with rods and pipes

Case ID : f66464c | Location : Pirojpur District, Bangladesh | Date of Incident : Thu, 13 February, 2025

Case ID : f66464c

Pirojpur District, Bangladesh

13 February, 2025

Durga Mandir and Hindu shops attacked by Muslim mob armed with rods and pipes

Attack on Hindu religious representations

Attack on Temples

Desecration of Hindu religious symbol

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Case Summary

A Muslim mob launched a brutal attack on a Hindu family and a nearby Durga Mandir in Nazirpur Upazila, located in the Pirojpur district of Bangladesh. The mob, consisting of 15-20 extremists, attacked the shop of Rebati Gayen, looting his belongings and assaulting his wife, Bithi Gayen. When local Hindus attempted to intervene, the mob violently attacked and injured eight of them. Among the victims were Durga Mandir Committee President, Milan Gayen, and his wife, Irani Gayen. In total, ten victims were later admitted to a local hospital. The attackers were identified as Chabbir Sheikh, Mustaqin Sheikh, and Nayan Sheikh, while others involved in the assault remain unidentified. The Muslim mob also targeted the Durga Mandir, vandalising the idol of the Hindu deity. The assailants were reportedly armed with rods and pipes. According to victim Rebati Gayen, the attack stemmed from a heated argument he had with Chabbir Sheikh, Mustaqin Sheikh, and Nayan Sheikh over their prolonged use of his shop’s WiFi. The extremists had earlier threatened the Hindu businessman with physical harm before leaving the scene. They failed to attend an 'arbitration meeting' organised on Friday morning and instead returned at night to attack Gayen’s shop and the nearby temple. This incident is one of the thousands of similar episodes of attacks on Hindu minorities at the hands of Islamist extremists since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, Bangladesh has 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. Further, the arrest of three Hindu priests, attempts to ban the Hindu organisation ISKCON and stifling Hindu protests with cases of ‘sedition’ highlight systematic persecution under the interim government of Muhammad Yunus. There have been multiple instances of attacks on Hindus under the pretext of ‘blasphemy.’ The recent cases of Hridoy Pal, Utsab Mandal, Partha Biswas Pintu, Akash Das, Pranta Talukder and Utsab Kumar Gian are shining examples of targeted persecution.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under two prime categories due to the multiple religious markers that irrefutably establish this incident as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus. The first category under which this case has been placed is- Attack on Hindu religious representation. Under this, the first 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 second sub-category selected under the above-mentioned category is- Desecration of 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 religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The second category chosen is- Attack not resulting in death. Within this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked 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. 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 ouster, Islamists 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 these assaults. Now, according to this report, a Muslim mob launched a brutal attack on a Hindu family and a nearby Durga Mandir in Nazirpur Upazila, located in the Pirojpur district of Bangladesh. It is important to highlight that the Muslims involved in the loot and vandalism of the Maa Durga Temple were fully aware that in Hinduism, temples are sacred spaces of worship, and the deities are revered with deep respect. Acts of temple vandalism and deliberate idol desecration, as demonstrated in this case, are seen as deeply offensive and sacrilegious. Such actions often stem from entrenched animosity and an intent to insult the faith. This clear attack on religious sentiments exemplifies hate and justifies its inclusion in the tracker. Further, the report also states that the mob, consisting of 15-20 extremists, also attacked the shop of a Hindu man named Rebati Gayen, looting his belongings and assaulting his wife, Bithi Gayen. When local Hindus attempted to intervene, the mob violently attacked and injured eight of them. The details of the case strongly indicate that the attack was not merely a personal dispute but a deliberate act of anti-Hindu aggression. The fact that the assailants were reportedly armed with rods and pipes and that they orchestrated the attack at night, suggests a premeditated effort to instil fear within the Hindu community. Furthermore, the threats issued prior to the attack and the extremists' refusal to engage in an arbitration meeting demonstrate that their intentions extended beyond a mere disagreement over WiFi usage. Instead, their actions were driven by hostility towards the victims’ Hindu identity. The targeting of a Hindu place of worship further reinforces the religious animosity at play. Such unprovoked and systematic violence against Hindus exemplifies a pattern of persecution aimed at intimidating and marginalising the Hindu community. Given these elements, this attack meets the definitional criteria of a hate crime motivated by religious hate against Hindus and warrants its inclusion in the tracker.