Ahead of Durga Puja, seven Hindu idols vandalised in Bangladesh

Dhaka, Sep 21 (IANS) In a continued wave of attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh, a miscreant vandalised seven idols at a Hindu temple in Sarishabari upazila of Jamalpur district, local media reported on Sunday.

The incident occurred on Saturday night at Taryapara temple in the municipality, marking the second such attack within a week ahead of the Durga Puja celebration, the largest religious festival of the Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.

Confirming the development, Sarishabari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rashedul Hasan said, "We rushed to the spot after being informed. One person has been arrested over the incident."

The police official stated that the accused has been identified as Habibur Rahman, a 35-year-old resident of Shimlapalli village.

According to police and temple authorities, the idols crafted for the upcoming Durga Puja at the temple were destroyed after the artisans left on Saturday night. They added that the accused entered the temple and broke the heads and other parts of the idols.

Reports suggest that on Sunday morning, temple committee members found the idols damaged and informed police, who, after reviewing the CCTV footage, arrested Habibur.

"On Sunday morning, the day of Mahalaya, we arrived to see the idols broken. We immediately called the police. The vandal was identified through CCTV footage," Bangladesh's leading newspaper The Daily Star quoted Goesh Chandra Barman, president of the temple committee, as saying.

The incident highlights a troubling trend as Bangladesh has witnessed a surge in attacks on Hindu temples and minorities since the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government assumed power in August 2024.

Earlier this week, local media reported that miscreants vandalised idols and stole a security camera and memory card at the Shwarupdah Palpara Sri Sri Rakhha Kali Temple in Mirpur upazila of Kushtia district.

According to the temple committee president, Amaresh Ghosh, miscreants broke the heads and hands of the Kartik and Saraswati idols.

"At the time of the incident, there was no electricity in the area, and it was lightly raining. Taking advantage of this situation, the idols were vandalised. Even though the temporary tin-shed temple is guarded daily, the damage was done during the load-shedding," Bangladesh's leading daily, The Business Standard, quoted Ghosh as saying.

"For the past three years, we have been preparing for Durga Puja here. This incident ahead of Durga Puja has left us in a state of fear," said Badal Kumar Dey, former secretary of the temple committee.

Last week, Bangladesh's Awami League strongly condemned the interim government's Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury for his disparaging remarks against Hinduism, in which he reportedly referred to Hindu rituals as "gatherings of liquor and drugs."

His offensive remarks came in the run-up to the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations in the country.

Since the ouster of the democratically elected government of Awami League led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has been gripped by violence and extreme lawlessness.

The interim government has also received massive criticism for providing shelter to radical and extremist Islamic outfits.

--IANS

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