Dhaka, Sep 21 — In a disturbing recurrence of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh, miscreants vandalised seven idols at a Hindu temple in Sarishabari upazila of Jamalpur district late Saturday night. The incident took place at the Taryapara temple and marks the second such attack in a week, heightening fears among the Hindu community ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja festival.
Police confirmed the arrest of Habibur Rahman, 35, of Shimlapalli village, after reviewing CCTV footage. “We rushed to the spot after being informed. The accused was identified and detained,” said Sarishabari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rashedul Hasan.
Temple committee president Goesh Chandra Barman told The Daily Star that artisans had completed work on the idols on Saturday, but by morning the community found them desecrated. “On Mahalaya morning, we arrived to see the idols broken. The vandal was identified through CCTV footage,” he said.
This is not an isolated case. Earlier in the week, idols at the Shwarupdah Palpara Sri Sri Rakhha Kali Temple in Kushtia’s Mirpur upazila were also damaged. Miscreants broke heads and hands of deities and stole security cameras during a power outage, according to temple authorities.
“These repeated incidents ahead of Durga Puja have left us terrified,” said Badal Kumar Dey, former secretary of the Kushtia temple committee.
The attacks come amid heightened tensions in Bangladesh since Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed leadership of the interim government in August 2024 following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government. Hindu leaders and civil society groups have accused the administration of failing to protect minorities and even sheltering radical groups.
Controversy deepened after Interim Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury recently disparaged Hindu rituals as “gatherings of liquor and drugs,” drawing strong condemnation from the Awami League.
