Hindu temple vandalised in Bangladesh, three idols of deities destroyed

A Hindu temple has been vandalised and three idols of deities have been destroyed by some miscreants in Bangladesh’s northern Netrokona area on Sunday, weeks after over 10 temples of the minority community were attacked in the Muslim-majority nation.

The incident came to light after people of Mymensinghorohi village in Netrokona sadar upazila of Pabna district found the doors of Sharifpur Kali temple in Aminpur open this morning.

Upon entering the temple premises, the residents noticed smashed bits and pieces of the temple architecture and three idols. Three broken idols one of deity Kali and another of Shiva were found lying about 600 feet away from the temple, a bangladeshi newspaper reported.

Immediately, police was informed after which an investigation was launched.

“We visited the site and have collected evidence of the vandalism. We have started the investigation and have found that the temple doors were not locked. We are looking for the people who are behind this heinous act,” Netrokona sadar police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shahnur-e-Alam said.

Netrokona Additional District Magistrate Abdul Matin visited the site and said the responsible parties will be identified and punished accordingly.

Netrokona Superintendent of Police Joydeb Chowdhury said officers have reached the site.

“We are treating the case with priority. A group with vested interests may have carried out the crime to disrupt communal harmony,” the SP added.

Meanwhile, Badal Ghosh, secretary of the temple committee, demanded immediate arrest of the attackers.

In October last week, miscreants set on fire at least six houses of Hindus in a predawn attack in Brahmanbarhia district’s Nasirnagar, the place where at least 15 temples and more than 20 houses were vandalised after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam sparked outrage in the country.

A cyber cafe owner was arrested on November 28 for allegedly masterminding attacks on Hindu temples and houses earlier this month.

The attacks on several Hindu temples in Bangladesh were carried out under a well-orchestrated plan aimed at grabbing lands of the minority community, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had said.

The statutory NHRC said their initial investigation into the attacks on several Hindu temples and households in the central Brahmanbarhia district’s Nasirnagar indicated that they were pre-planned.