On 5th August, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, resigned from her post and fled the country amidst ongoing violent protests. Following her exit, the Bangladeshi Army took over and soon an interim government under Muhammed Yunus took charge of the country. Meanwhile, Bangladeshi Hindus started to get targeted by Islamists across the country. Initially, the Bangladeshi daily The Daily Star reported that Hindus were attacked in at least 27 districts spread to 40+ districts over time.
OpIndia has been consistently reporting attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh despite the vicious propaganda to prove that Hindus are safe in the neighbouring country. Notably, attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh are not uncommon and there have been several reports where Hindus, their temples and shops have been targeted in the country. As the world is finally waking up to the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, here is a list of attacks that OpIndia reported while most of the mainstream media conveniently ignored.
Bhola violence in 2001
When the Citizen Amendment Bill was tabled in the Parliament in December 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah mentioned Bhola Violence to remind the members of the house how Hindus have been subjected to violence, torture and persecution.
The Bhola rape and violence incident occurred in 2001 just after the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) under Begum Khalida Zia came to power. After the election victory, the BNP and Jamat-e-Islami goons wreaked havoc on Hindus in Bangladesh. In several places, like Bagerhat, Barisal, Bogra, Brahmanbaria, Chitgaon, Fani, Ghazipur, Jesor, Khulna, Munshiganj, Bhola, Narayanganj, and Sirajganj districts, Hindus were targeted in orchestrated attacks by Muslim gangs.
In October 2001, in Bhola districts, Lalmohan region, Hindus were attacked by Muslims. The attackers rushed into Hindu homes, looted their belongings, cut down their trees, and destroyed their crops. In Bhola’s Char Fasson, BNP-supported Muslims had attacked and raped over 200 Hindu women. The youngest victim was 8. The eldest was a 70-year-old woman.
Years later, a Judicial Commission inquiry in Bangladesh had concluded that over 25,000 leaders and local party workers of the then-ruling BNP and Jamat-e-Islami were involved in the attack against Hindus and other minorities that had led to hundreds of deaths, and injuries and had forced the Hindus in Bangladesh to flee into India.
Islamists in Bangladesh burnt 11 Hindus alive to grab their land
On 18th November 2003, 11 people belonging to a Hindu family were burnt alive by Islamists in Banshkhali Upazila in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh.
The victim Tejendra Lal Sheel lived with his family in Sheelapara in Sadhnopur village of Banshkhali Upazila. Prior to the arson attack, the accused tried to intimidate the victim into giving up his land. When Sheel refused to comply, the attackers set his house on fire. On the orders of one Mokhtar Ahmad, accused Mahbub Rashid shut down the doors and windows of the house. At that point, another accused Rubel carried out the deadly arson that killed 11 people including 6 children.
The police initially dubbed the case as that of robbery. “I don’t believe this is a robbery, as eight other houses in the same yard were untouched,” a hairdresser named Nepal, who lived in the same neighbourhood had questioned. Following public outrage, the cops began investigating the matter.
During the investigation, Mahbub had confessed to the involvement of 12 people in the Banshkhali carnage. He narrated, “Of the 12, six including Mokhtar, Dola Meah, Rubel, Akbar, Aminul Haq and me entered the house and six others were on guard outside. As the family members threw acid on us, Rubel ordered us to set the house afire. We followed his orders, shut all the doors and windows and Rubel set fire to the house.”
Later, it came to light that the deadly attack was carried out on the orders of the then ruling Bangladesh National Party (BNP) leader Aminur Rahman Chowdhury to encroach over the land owned by Sheel. The trial is still pending.
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh burnt down shops and houses of Hindus in Hathazari in 2012
In 2012 and 2013, between February and November, at least 20 attacks were reported against the minority communities at Hathazari and Bashkhali in Chittagong, Kaliganj of Satkhira, Chirirbandar of Dinajpur, besides Ramu in Cox’s Bazar, Sathia of Pabna, Barisal and so on.
The assault started in Hathazari on 9 and 10 February 2012, when Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, members influenced local Muslims to attack, loot and plunder Hindu households. Eight temples, 12 shops and a number of houses were burnt down.
After the violence in Hathazari, police arrested the perpetrators but with the help of Hefajat leader Ahmed Shafi, they were let out on bail. Now, it’s been 9 years since the incident, but the Hindu victims have still not got any justice.
Fundamentalist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami behind the 2012 Fatehpur violence
The Hathazari incident was the starting point of religious terrorism against Hindus by the fundamentalist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh.
In March and April, several Hindu and a few Muslim households (who had tried to help their Hindu neighbours) at Fatepur and Chakdaha in Satkhira, were attacked. At least 12 houses were burned down to ashes and two villages were ransacked during the two-day long vandalism in the area.
On March 31, 2012, a local newspaper named Daily Drishtipat, backed by Islamist hardliners, had spread the rumour that a school play in the village had made indecent remarks about the Prophet. The local newspaper reportedly circulated complimentary copies of the paper to different houses, bazaars and mosques. Based on this rumour, Islamists attacked and looted Hindus, while the police kept looking on. The houses of almost 10 Hindu families were looted and set ablaze.
Initially, the mainstream Bangladeshi media maintained a stoic silence, completely ignoring the incident. Later, as the Hindu Students of Jagannath Hall of Dhaka University protested against the persecution, the Bangladeshi media highlighted this event.
2012 Chirirbandar violence was a fallout of an inflammatory speech given by a radical Muslim professor baying for the blood of Hindus
On 4 August 2012, a similar attack was carried out by the local fundamentalists on the vulnerable Hindus of Chirirbandar Upazila of Dinajpur District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh. The Islamic extremists mercilessly burned down 50 Hindu households in an attack that was planned.
The incident was a fallout of an inflammatory speech given by Professor Hamida Khatun of Chittagong Metropolitan College with the help of the Chirirbandar Upazila Parishad chairman and a Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Aftab Ali Molla, to agitate the local Muslim against the Hindus of the area. The Muslims, in turn, hit the streets across the country in support of Jamaat-e-Islami’s and reduced houses of at least 50 Hindu families to ashes.
Islamists targetted Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples during 2012 Ramu violence
In the same year on the midnight past 29 September, Islamic fanatics launched attacks on a predominantly Buddhist neighbourhood at Ramu in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. The incident occurred after an image of the desecration of the Quran appeared on a fake Facebook account registered under a Buddhist youth Uttam Kumar Barua. Accusing the youth of insulting the Quran through his social media account, Islamists targetted Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples.
The violence later spread to Ukhia Upazila in Cox’s Bazar District and Patiya Upazila in Chittagong District, where too Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temples were destroyed.
Reports suggests that the Buddhist youth was falsely defamed as the picture was not posted by him.
According to rough estimates, 25,000 Muslims participated in the violence directed at Buddhists in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
2013 Bangladesh anti-Hindu violence
On 28 February 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, the vice president of the Jamaat-e-Islami to death for war crimes committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Following the death sentence, radicals of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir attacked the minority Hindus in different parts of the country.
Over 100 people, including police personnel were killed and many Hindu properties were looted, damaged and burnt to ashes. Hindu temples were also desecrated and set on fire.
According to minority community leaders, more than 50 Hindu temples and 1,500 Hindu homes were destroyed in over 20 districts during the 2013 anti-Hindu violence in the country.
Muslim mob goes on a rampage vandalising 26 Hindu households during 2013 Sathia violence
On November 2, 2013, a Muslim mob had reportedly gone on a rampage vandalising a temple and 26 Hindu households in a Hindu dominated neighbourhood in a village in Bangladesh’s Pabna district. The incident occurred over a Facebook post allegedly malign the Muslim prophet. Accusing a class 10 Hindu boy of posting a blasphemous post defaming Prophet Mohammad, the mob attacked Bablu Shah’s house. Babul was mercilessly hit and kicked upon. Later, more gangs joined in to attack the predominantly Hindu village and vandalised about 26 households.
2014 Bangladesh violence against minority Hindus
In 2014, major clashes had erupted in Bangladesh after Hindus refused to boycott the 10th general elections, which was already boycotted by the primary opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami. Soon after the voting ended in Bangladesh, the Hindus had to face the ire of the activist of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-Shibir. Hindu houses have been looted, vandalized and burned in several places like Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Bogra, Lalmonirhat, Rajshahi, Chittagong and Jessore.
Hundreds of minority Bengali Hindus were rendered homeless in this mayhem, where as several Hindu temple were also burnt, vandalized and looted.
Two dozen Hindu households and a temple vandalised during 2014 Homna violence over fake charges of blasphemy
A fanatic Muslim mob of nearly 3,000, led by teachers and students of eight madrasas in the Upazila, attacked over two dozen Hindu households and a temple in eastern Bangladesh after rumours spread that two Hindu youths defamed Prophet Muhammad on Facebook.
Villagers had then confirmed that a call was made from the loudspeakers of a Madrasa at Rampur village, near Baghsitarampur, to launch the assault on the Hindus. Before the attacks, leaflets were distributed for several days in the madrasas claiming that two Hindu youths had slandered the prophet in a Facebook post on April 27, 2014.
2016 Nasirnagar violence was yet another display of blatant intolerance by Muslims in Bangladesh
A similar incident transpired in Bangladesh’s Nasirnagar Upazila in October 2016. This time too, a frenzied Muslim mob launched a synchronized attack on the Hindus in Brahmanbaria’s Nasirnagar Upazila over an alleged Facebook post. More than 300 Hindu homes and at least 19 temples were reportedly looted. Moreover, 100 people including several temple devotees were left wounded in the attack which was triggered by an allegedly defamatory social media post by a Hindu fisherman against Islam.
Muslim mob turned violent and launched an arson attack on Hindu houses during 2017 Rangpur violence in Bangladesh
In yet another incident of violence against the vulnerable Hindus in neighbouring Bangladesh, at least 30 Hindu houses at Thakurpara village in Rangpur Sadar Upazila were looted vandalised and burnt to ashes on November 10, 2017. Several Hindus were injured in the incident where a Muslim mob turned violent and launched an arson attack on these Hindu houses.
A rumour had reportedly shaped and vented the anger of the Muslims in the neighbouring villages against the Hindu community. The rumour was that one Titu Roy, originally from Thakurpara but living in Narayanganj, had put up a Facebook post defaming Prophet Muhammad a few days prior to the incident.
The violence that ensued left one dead and several others injured as police had opened fire on attackers. Protestors also torched Titu’s house. An investigation by police, however, found no blasphemous posts made by Titu, but rather from a different account with a similar name.
Rumours about a blasphemous post against Islam triggered the 2019 Borhanuddin violence against Hindus in Bangladesh
Similarly, on October 23, 2019, four people were killed and hundreds more including 10 policemen injured in Borhanuddin, following clashes between police and local Muslims demonstrating for the punishment of a youth, Biplob Chandra Baidya, who had allegedly hurt their religious sentiment on a Facebook post. According to reports, 12 Hindu homes and one temple were vandalized. One Hindu home was also set ablaze. A motorcycle was also torched.
This started when rumours spread that the Hindu boy posted a blasphemous post against Islam on Facebook. However, it was later found to be posted by two Muslims.
30 attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh in May 2020
May 2020 was particularly difficult for Hindus in Bangladesh. There were at least 30 attacks reported in just one month. A press note was released by the World Hindu Federation, Bangladesh Chapter, where the list was published. Four Hindus were murdered, 12 cases of loot were registered, 435 acres of land belonging to Hindus were grabbed, 43 Hindu families were displaced and 10 Hindu families were exiled in one month.
May 1-5: The violence in May 2020 began with assaults on homes belonging to Hindus in various villages. Several Hindus sustained serious injuries and significant property damage was reported. In Gopalganj, a Hindu family was brutally attacked by local Muslims, while in Moulvibazar, a poultry farm owned by a Hindu was vandalized, causing a loss of 40 lakh Taka. False accusations of blasphemy led to the arrest of a Hindu student, followed by the looting and destruction of his home. Other incidents included attacks on a doctor, the discovery of bodies, and arrests based on dubious charges.
May 7-19: The violence escalated with attacks on Hindu families in Narail, Patuakhali, and other districts. Land grabs, forced evictions, and murders were reported during that period. In Narail, a land mafia targeted ten Hindu families, vandalizing homes and threatening them to leave the country. In another tragic incident, a 14-year-old Hindu girl committed suicide after repeated sexual harassment by a local Muslim youth. There were also instances of forced burials against Hindu customs, assaults on priests, and more killings.
May 25-29: The violence continued with the murder of a Hindu political activist and further attempts to forcibly occupy Hindu properties. Victims were injured, and homes were looted, demonstrating a clear pattern of targeted attacks against the Hindu community throughout the month.
Idols of Hindu deities vandalised in Kali Mandir in September 2020
On 11th September 2020, idols of Hindu deities were vandalised at the Kali Mandir in Dakkhin Salna area in Gazipur city of Bangladesh. As per reports, unknown miscreants barged into the temple in the wee hours of the night and desecrated the idols of four Hindu deities. On the following day, Hindu worshippers found the heads of the idols lying on the ground. President of the Temple Management Committee Naresh Raya alleged that several ‘influential locals’ were eyeing to grab the land on which the temple is built and could be behind the attack.
A Hindu girl went missing after getting suspended over allegations of insulting Prophet Mohammad
On 25th October, a third-year Zoology student, Tithy Sarker, of the Jagannath University (JnU) in Dhaka Bangladesh, went missing after she allegedly made derogatory remarks against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. She was earlier suspended from her university on 23rd October for hurting religious sentiments. Reportedly, she was on her way to the police station and then was scheduled to go to Durga Puja Mandap but went missing. In her complaint, Trithy said that her Facebook account was hacked after which objectionable post was made by the hacker.
Later, she was found. The police claimed that she faked her abduction to escape trial. She was arrested in November 2020. The case against her went on for over four years for the comments on social media. In May 2024, she was sentenced to five years in prison with probation by a Dhaka Tribunal.
Muslim mob attacks, burns houses of Hindus over a Facebook post about Charlie Hebdo cartoons in Muradnagar in Bangladesh
In November 2020, in yet another blatant display of fanaticism and bigotry, a group of radical Islamists attacked over 10 Hindu families at Korbanpur village under Muradnagar Upazila in the Comilla district of Bangladesh.
As per reports, the Hindu households were selectively vandalised and later set on fire after a man allegedly expressed solidarity with France and defended the Charlie Hebdo cartoons in Facebook comments. The man has been identified as one Shankar Debnath. The Islamist mob burnt down the office of the local Union Parishad Chairman Bankumar Shiv, his house, Shankar’s house and that of other Hindu families in the area.
The video of the incident had gone viral on social media, in which a violent Islamist mob, wearing skull caps and brandishing sticks, logs and stones, could be seen vandalising the houses of Hindu families.
Members of the hardliner group Hefazat-e-Islami attacked Hindus over a Facebook post
In March 2021, over 80 houses of Hindus in the village of Sunamganj, Bangladesh were attacked and vandalised by the supporters of Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam. The attack was planned after a young Hindu man criticized Joint Secretary General Mawlana Mufti Mamunul Haque in a Facebook post.
According to reports, a conference held at Derai upazila on Monday hosted by Hefazat-e-Islam’s (Islamist Advocacy group of madrassah teachers and students) Amir Allama Junaid Babunagari, Joint-Secretary General Mawlana Mufti Mamunul Haque and several other central leaders. A young Hindu man from Noagaon, Shalla Upazila was enraged by Mawlana Mamunul Haque’s speech and made a Facebook post criticizing it which he uploaded on Tuesday.
Upon discovering the post, Hefazat leaders staged a protest on Tuesday night alleging attempts to incite communal violence. The police arrested the boy the same evening to bring the situation under control. Yet several thousand members of Hefazat-e-Islam attacked the boy’s village with makeshift weapons on Wednesday morning.
Many local Hindus had to flee their homes fearing for life which allowed the attackers to ransack and loot their homes.
Kali Maa idol torched in March 2021
On 18th March, miscreants attacked and damaged an idol of the Hindu goddess Kali at a temple in Thakurgaon. The incident has occurred in Uttargaon village of Thakurgaon’s Ranisankail Upazila. Some miscreants torched an idol of Hindu goddess Kali at a temple. The police said the attackers vandalised the temple and burned the Kali idol.
Islamists attacked Hindu temples to protest PM Modi’s visit to Bangladesh
In March 2021, Islamists in Bangladesh attacked Hindu Temples to protest against the official visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hefazat-e-Islami members attacked a train in the district of Brahmanbaria on Saunday, injuring ten. “They attacked the train and damaged its engine room and almost all the coaches,” a police official said in a statement.
Hindu homes and temple attacked in Satkhira district over harassment of minor girl
Multiple Hindu homes and a temple were attacked by assailants in April 2021 in Futala village of Satkhria district in Bangladesh. Several Hindu homes were looted and three idols of a local village temple were desecrated. Pintu Baulia, one of the victims, said that assailants ambushed their village at around 8 pm on Tuesday and ransacked the entire village. “They vandalized idols at the local temple, looted our homes and injured at least 10 members of my community,” he added. The attack was a result of a dispute between Pallab Mandal, son of Shripad Mandal of Uttar Kadamtala village who occasionally harassed the daughter of Jatin Baulia, an eighth-grade schoolgirl at a local School. This issue resulted in a dispute between the two parties, leading to the attack on Tuesday night.
Hindu actor bullied, called names after Islamists realise that he is not a Muslim
Chanchal Chowdhury, a National award-winning actor in Bangladesh, was abused and bullied on social media by Islamists after they learnt that he is a Hindu by faith. He has acted in several films such as ‘Debi’, ‘Aynabaji’, ‘Monpura’, ‘Rupkothar Goplo’ and others.
In May 2021, the critically acclaimed actor had updated his profile picture on the occasion of International Mother’s Day. He had posted a heartwarming picture with his mother, accompanied by the caption “Maa… (heart symbol)’. Islamists were quick to spot the vermillion mark on his mother’s head, a distinct feature that distinguishes Hindus from Muslims.
However, on learning that he is a Hindu, the rabid Islamists did not shy away from spewing vitriol against him. While some Muslims expressed surprise after discovering his religious affiliation, others asked him to convert to Islam. Some Islamists even resorted to the choicest of expletives and attributing vile names to his mother. “If I wouldn’t have seen this picture, then, I would have remained under the impression that you are a Muslim,” wrote one Al-Sady Prial.
Hindus attacked in Sheikh Hasina’s constituency on Eid
On July 21, a mob of radical Islamists in Bangladesh attacked the Hindu community without provocation at around 9 am in the morning. The incident took place at Kalabari Union Parakata Bazar in Kotalipara in the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh. It must be mentioned that Gopalganj is the election constituency of Awami League supremo and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hindu temples destroyed in August 2021
In August 2021, miscreants destroyed four temples and vandalised several shops belonging to the Hindu community in Bangladesh. The incident took place in Shiali village in Rupsha Upazila in the Khulna district of Bangladesh.
The attack took place around 5:45 pm on 7th August during which miscreants ambushed the village with locally made weapons. During the violence, four temples were desecrated and a house was vandalised. Besides, the goons also destroyed 6 shops. Reportedly, a group of female devotees took out a procession at around 9 pm on Friday (August 6) from the Purba Para temple to the Shiali crematorium. They had crossed a mosque on their way, during which the Imam (Islamic cleric) objected to the procession. This led to a heated argument between the Hindu devotees and the cleric. It was decided that the matter would be taken up with the police on Saturday.
On the day of the attack, several miscreants arrived in the village with spades, sickles and carried out mass destruction. They vandalised the shops of local Hindus including Ganesh Mallick (pharmacy), Sribas Mallick (grocery), Sourabh Mallick (tea and grocery), Anirban Hira (tea shop), and his father Mazumdar. Besides, the residence of one Shibpadh Dhar was also looted by them. The ‘Govinda temple’ in his house was also destroyed. Others temples that were desecrated include ‘Hari temple’ of Shiali Purbapara, Durga temple, and Shiali Mahasamshan temple. Several idols kept in the temple were also destroyed.
Over 300 temples and 1,500 homes vandalised across 30 districts in October 2021
In October 2021, radical Islamists in Bangladesh launched a series of violent attacks against the Hindu community during the Durga Puja festival. The violence was triggered by a staged incident in Cumilla, where a Quran was placed at a Durga temple, sparking false accusations against Hindus. This led to a nationwide spree of destruction, with over 315 temples and 1,500 houses vandalized across 30 districts, including Chandpur, Chittagong, and Noakhali. The attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 10 Hindus, the rape of several women, and widespread looting. In Noakhali, the ISKCON temple was severely damaged, and a devotee was killed, further intensifying the crisis. The attackers also targeted Hindu homes, burning them to the ground, and desecrated more than 20 temples in Rangpur. These coordinated attacks were a grim reminder of the precarious situation for Hindus in Bangladesh, who face recurrent violence during religious festivals.
Later, a Muslim man named Iqbal Hossain was arrested for deliberately placing a copy of the Quran at a Durga Puja pandal that triggered the attacks on Hindus. Hossain had collected a copy of the Quran from the local shrine and placed it at the feet of a Hanuman idol at a Durga mandap, creating a situation that later became a Facebook post and used as an excuse by Muslims to attack and burn Hindu places of worship.
The two caretakers were identified as Hafez Humayun and Faisal by the chief custodian Ahmedunnabi Mashuk. Following the meeting of the duo with Iqbal Hossain at 11 pm on October 12, caretaker Hafez Humayun left a copy of the Quran for the culprit in a closet in the adjoining mosque. Later, Iqbal Hossain was seen collecting the ‘Holy Book’ at about 2:12 from the masjid on the night of October 13. The culprit then went to the Nanuardighi Durga Puja mandap and committed the deliberate act of ‘blasphemy’ to implicate the Hindu community.
5 brothers of a Hindu family killed in Bangladesh in ‘pre-meditated’ road accident, 3 injured
On 8th February 2022, a speeding van mauled 5 members of a Hindu family to death in Bangladesh in what is believed to be a ‘premeditated’ attack. The incident took place on Chakaria Upazila in Cox Bazar district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh.
During the accident, 5 members of the family were killed at the spot, 3 others were injured and one of them is battling with his life at the Chittagong General Hospital. According to survivor Munni Sushil, the ‘road accident’ was a pre-meditated murder. While five of her brothers were killed, two other brothers and one sister were injured in the targeted attack. Their sister Hira Sushil said, “My six brothers and one sister were about two arms’ length away from the road on the day of the accident. My other brother and I were on the street. Instead of hitting us, the pickup van targeted and crushed my brothers. The vehicle then came back and crushed my injured sister after killing my brothers.”
Narrating the reason for this attack, mother of the deceased that her father had been organising Durga Puja in the area with her family. And in the month of January, her brother Deepak Sushil, who was living abroad, had brought about 4,000 bricks and gravel to build a small temple in Hasinapara area, which angered the Islamists.
The village is home to 30-35 Hindu families. After the temple construction began, Munni’s father began receiving threats.
ISKCON temple desecrated by Islamist mob in Bangladesh, idols vandalised and looted
On 17th March 2022, a frenzied Muslim mob attacked an ISKCON temple, located on Lalmohan Saha Street in Wari in Dhaka Division of Bangladesh. The development was confirmed to Opindia by the administration of the Sri Sri Radhakanta Jiu Mandir.
According to the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), the dastardly attack was orchestrated by one 62-year-old Haji Shafiullah. Under his direction, an Islamist mob of 150-200 people laid siege on the ISKCON temple. They desecrated the murtis (idol), vandalised the temple premises, looted money and other valuable items.
As per a report published by India Today, three devotees namely Sumantra Chandra Shravan, Nihar Haldar, and Rajiv Bhadra were injured during the attack. Popular Twitter handle Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus shared disturbing visuals that showcase the extent of damange caused to the Sri Sri Radhakanta Jiu Mandir.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party serves beef to Hindu invitees at Iftar event in Sylhet
On 28th April, The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has courted controversy for serving beef ( gorur mangsho) to 20-odd Hindu party members, who were invited to an Iftar party. The event was organised by the Sylhet unit of BNP at the Kushiara International Convention Hall in Chondipul in Dakshin Surma in the Sylhet district. As per reports, the attendees confirmed that the meals were kept in front of each chair even before the start of the Iftar party.
The dishes included beef curry, chole, onion fritters, dates and potato cutlet (aloo chop). A total of 20 Hindu party members and leaders were invited to the event. Besides, several non-Muslim journalists were also present to cover the Iftar party. However, no alternate arrangements were made for them.
Instead, they were also served beef curry like the Muslim members of the party. As a result, the Hindu invitees didn’t eat the served meal. Several Hindu leaders of the BNP expressed their discontentment during the event. Many labelled the treatment meted out to them as ‘downright communal.’ Some party members also took to Facebook to display their angst.
Muslim mob vandalise a temple, a grocery store and several houses of the Hindus over a Facebook Post
On 15th July 2022, Muslim mob vandalised a temple, a grocery store and several houses belonging to members of the Hindu community in the Sahapara area of Lohagara, Narail. The mob, at first, threw stones after which they broke into the Sahapara temple and broke the furniture kept inside the premises. They attacked and vandalised a grocery store belonging to the father of the teenager who published the Facebook post that supposedly hurt their sentiments.
Hindu schoolgirl abducted and killed, killer used her Facebook account to post her kidnapped picture and announce her death
a Hindu girl from Bangladesh was abducted and killed by a person who later posted her picture on Facebook declaring that she was dead. The deceased girl has been identified as Anuradha Sen who belonged to the minority community in Nalitabari Upazila of Sherpur, Bangladesh.
The girl who was kidnapped earlier was killed by the accused and her picture was posted on her Facebook account by the accused. The caption attached to the post read, “There is no need to find her. She is dead.” The accused is suspected to be Bari Mehdi who had earlier made threatening calls to Anuradha’s brother.
The incident is said to have happened on Sunday, 25th July when the accused called Anuradha’s mother and asked her to send her to the school to collect the funds. The person on the phone call said that the funds were being provided by the government for some special students and Anuradha was one of those.
The family of the girl later came to know that the person had trapped the girl and had kidnapped her by falsely calling her to the school. The father of the victim girl went to the school and tried to search for her but to no avail. Later he filed a police complaint at Nalitabari police station.
Hindu woman gang-raped, disrobed and killed in a paddy field
On 29th July, a dead body of a Hindu woman was discovered in a paddy field in the Kumar para area in the Bhervedi Union in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.
As per reports, the deceased woman was identified as Apo Rani Roy. She was returning to her husband’s home from her paternal house. Later, her disrobed body was found in a paddy field. A 10-year-old girl named Bipasha Rani Roy was also found in an unconscious state near the victim’s body.
According to the victim’s family, Alo Rani Roy has been gang-raped by unidentified criminals. They claimed that the victim was murdered to prevent her from identifying the accused men.
Hindu temple attacked, idols vandalised, three madarsa students arrested
On 8th August 2022, Mongla Police in Bangladesh detained three madarsa students for allegedly vandalising idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Kainmari Temple. The incident took place on the night of August 6 (Saturday). As per reports, the attack on the temple took place after the temple administration asked a few Muslim boys from madarsa not to play football on the field adjoining the temple.
According to a report on Ekushey TV, the residents said on Saturday evening, there was an altercation between the people from the temple and those who came to play football in Kainmari Temple, which is located in the Kainmari area of district Chandpai. The Temple committee had prohibited the boys from playing on the temple ground. Following the altercation, the boys left but only after threatening the temple authorities with consequences that were retaliated as well.
Later on Saturday night, unknown miscreants came and vandalised idols of Maa Kali and Bhagwan Ganesh in the temple. The Police have initiated a probe into the matter. Upazila Puja Utsav Parishad’s President Piyush Majumdar said, “I heard about the altercation between the temple authorities and the boys who came to play football. It is unclear if the vandalisation happened as a result of the altercation or because of some other reason. This is the first incident of such kind in the area.”
Hindu temple attacked in Barisal ahead of Durga Puja, idols damaged in September 2022
Unknown vandals smashed the idols at the Kashipur Sarbajanin Durga Temple in Mehendiganj Upazila in Barisal, Bangladesh. The crime was reported early Sunday, according to Mehendiganj Police Officer in Charge Shafiqul Islam. He claimed that when people went to the temple in the morning to pray, they discovered the idols defaced.
According to police, the event occurred in the early hours of the morning because people were present till 2 AM in the temple. “There are no CCTV cameras in the temple, and we have asked temple authorities to install the camera as soon as possible,” stated OC Shafiqul.
Hindu temple destroyed in October 2022, head of broken Goddess Kali idol found half a kilometer away
On 7th October 2022, a Kali temple in Dautiya village in Bangladesh’s Jhenaidah district was attacked. he Kali idol was found smashed into pieces, with the head of the idol discovered around half a kilometer away from the temple premises. The incident came to the fore just a day after the conclusion of the 10-day-long Durga Puja festival, the biggest celebration for Hindus in Bengal.
Hindu home attacked, idol vandalised by leader of youth wing of ruling Awami League party
On 18th November, the residence of a Hindu family was attacked and their puja mandap was vandalised in the Kostapara area in Bhuanpur Upazila in Tangail district in the Dhaka Division of Bangladesh. As per reports, the home belonged to local Hindu resident Subhas Ghosh. About 10 members of his family were injured during the attack and at least 4 out of them were admitted to the Bhuanpur Upazila Health Complex for medical treatment. Those hospitalised in the aftermath of the attack were identified as Ratan, Nikhil, Ashok, and Shanto Ghosh. On the other hand, the accused was identified as Khorshed Bepari. Khorshed was said to be a leader of the youth wing (Jubo League) of the ruling Awami League. He reportedly carried out the targeted attack on his Hindu neighbour over an ongoing ‘land dispute.’ His brother Arshed Ali was also an accomplice in the attack.
Islamists attack Hindus renovating a Shiva temple in Panskura
On 5th January 2023, a mob of Islamists attacked Hindus who had come together to renovate a century-old Shiva temple in Radhaballabhchak village under Pasnkura police station, in East Medinipur of West Bengal. Muslims objected to the renovation of a Shiv Temple and attacked the Hindus of the area with bricks and iron rods. Many Hindus were injured in this attack.
Muslim fanatics destroyed recently built columns of the constructions and also damaged the temple. Even the relatives of the afflicted Hindu Trinamul Panchayat chief were reportedly not spared by the Muslim attackers and were unable to be saved in time by the police who arrived on the scene later. The local “Bangiya Hindu Sena” leaders have issued a call to action to defend Hindus’ religious freedom by uniting Hindus regardless of their political affiliations.
Bangladeshi leader Tarique Rahman refers to Hindu scriptures as ‘porn text’
Tarique Rahman, co-convener of the Bangladesh Gono Odhikar Parishad and a key adviser to Nurul Haque Nur, launched an attack on Hindu minorities by claiming that the scriptures of the Hindu faith are pornographic and do not provide any moral teaching. The Bangladesh opposition party’s campaign to topple the Bangladeshi government has been led by Nurul Haque Nur. General elections are to be held in Bangladesh in 2024.
In Facebook live, Tarique Rehman spewed venom against Hindus. He said, “Scriptures of the Hindu religion do not offer any moral teaching — all the religious scriptures are porn scripts.” It is notable that his political party Bangladesh Nationalist Party is backed by the Islamist organization Jamaat-e-Islami.
Muslim mob attacks and destroys houses of Hindus over blasphemy allegations
On 15th January, a mob of Islamists vandalised the residence of a Hindu family in Uttar Kandi village in Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj district in Dhaka Division of Bangladesh. As per reports, the violent mob accused a Hindu youth of committing blasphemy and ‘hurting’ the religious sentiments of the local Muslims over a Facebook post. Soon after Islamists descended on the residence of his extended family and destroyed the property. According to Dhaka Tribune, no casualties were reported after the targeted attack. The Hindu boy, who was accused of blasphemy by radical Islamists, was reportedly living in India for the past 7 years. Moreover, his other family members including his mother and sister had also moved to India about 3 months ago.
Islamists vandalise Saraswati idol, attack Hindu worshippers
On 26th January, a group of 9-10 Islamists disrupted the Saraswati Puja and vandalised the idol of the Goddess after being told not to click pictures and videos. The incident took place at Naraich village in Mohanganj upazila in the Netrakona district in the Mymensingh Division of Bangladesh. So far, a total of 6 accused, namely, Nishad, Farook Mia, Apu Mia, SM Munna Khan, Sabikul Mia and Anon Mia, have been identified. They are said to be juveniles and residents of the nearby Hatnaiya village. According to Antar Sarkar of the Naraich Village Youth Association, the Islamists landed at the Puja mandap at around 9:30 pm on Thursday during the time of Puja Aarti.
14 Hindu temples attacked across Bangladesh, idols broken and tossed into ponds
On 5th February 2023, in a series of planned attacks overnight in northwest Bangladesh, at least 14 Hindu temples were damaged and vandalised. According to reports, attackers damaged nine temples in the Sindurpindi region of the Dhantala union, four in the Collegepara area of the Paria union, and one temple in the Sahbajpur Nathpara area of the Charol union.
After the attack, Mohammad Jahangir Hossain, the superintendent of police in Thakurgaon, stated that officers are searching for responsible parties. He guaranteed that truth would surface after a detailed investigation into the incident. According to the reports, it is believed that the attacks occurred between Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Hindus attacked in Comilla during protest march against MP Bahauddin Bahar who demonised Durga Puja as ‘festival of alcohol’
On 13th October 2023, protest march organised by the Hindu community came under attack in the Nazrul Avenue area in the Comilla metropolis of Bangladesh. One of them also sustained severe injuries to his head. Three of the victims were identified as Aditya Das, Sunil Das and Tanmoy Das. The said demonstration was led by the Bangladesh Youth Unity Council, Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (HBCUC), Student Unity Council and Women Unity Council against the disturbing remarks made by an Awami League MP (Comilla-6 constituency) named Bahauddin Bahar about Durga Puja.
Temple vandalised in Shailkupa
On 6th November, a case of temple desecration and idol vandalism came to light in the Bijulia village of Shailkupa upazila. After learning about the incident, the local Hindus alerted the police. A similar case of idol vandalism took place in October 2022. “Last year, they broke the idol of Goddess Kali and discarded the head of the deity. There is an upcoming election in the country. I hope such incidents are not repeated this time…I hope we can live in peace,” a local Hindu woman said.
Hindus stage protest after 10 idols vandalised in 3 temples in Faridpur, one miscreant arrested
On 15th December, about 10 idols of deities kept in three Hindu temples were vandalised in Alfadanga upazila in Faridpur district in Dhaka Division of Bangladesh. As per a report in Prothom Alo, the three desecrated temples were identified as Kendriya Hari Mandir, Sri Sri Vishnu Pagal Mandir and Sri Sri Damodar Akhara. The places of worship are located within 1 km of the Alfadanga municipality. According to the Bengali daily, four idols of Goddess Manasa, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati and one idol of Lord Shiva were vandalised at the Kendriya Hari Mandir. Similarly, two idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Manasa were destroyed at the Sri Sri Vishnu Pagal Mandir.
