Ahead of Durga Puja, 7 Hindu idols vandalised in Bangladesh; suspect held

Dhaka, Sept 22: 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 in- formed. 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 in- formed 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 as- sumed 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 van- dalised. 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.

- IANS