Vandalism of Hindu Temple in Barlekha, Bangladesh Sparks Outrage

On the morning of January 1, Hossain Tipu entered a temple chanting "Hare Krishna." He pretended to pray there before starting to vandalize the idols. During this time, he attacked a female priest of the temple.

Once again, an incident of looting at a Hindu temple has taken place in Bangladesh. This time, the incident occurred in the Barlekha Upazila of Moulvibazar, where the idols at the Shri Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu Sebashram temple were vandalized, and looting was carried out.

According to reports, the police have arrested Hossain Tipu, a resident of Gaziteka, in connection with the incident. The president of the temple committee, Kripasindhu Dutta, alleged that on January 1, Hossain Tipu entered the temple in the morning while chanting "Hare Krishna." He pretended to engage in worship and then began smashing the idols.

During this attack, the priest, Leela Rani Dutta, was injured. It was alleged that Hossain pushed Leela Devi to the ground. He then took valuable ornaments from the idols and broke open the donation box, stealing money. When locals tried to stop him, he started throwing bricks at them and escaped on a motorcycle. A complaint was later filed with the police, who eventually arrested Hossain Tipu.

The police recovered 3,220 BDT stolen from the donation box, along with two pairs of silver anklets and two bracelets.

This incident is part of a series of recent attacks on temples in Bangladesh. On December 21, robbers attacked the Kashimpur Central Crematorium in Boroharishpur, Natore Sadar Upazila. During this incident, a temple caretaker, Tarun Chandra Das, was killed, and looting was carried out.

Earlier, on December 19 and 20, two temples in Haluaghat Upazila, Mymensingh, were attacked. On December 20, miscreants vandalized two idols at the Banderpara temple in Shakuai Union. A day earlier, on December 19, an idol was vandalized at a temple in Bildora Union, as confirmed by the officer-in-charge (OC) of Haluaghat police station. According to reports, a young man named Alal Uddin (27) was arrested for his involvement in the incident, and he allegedly confessed to his crime.

Additionally, on December 17, five idols at the Jharbari Shmashan Kali Temple in Birganj Upazila, Dinajpur, were vandalized.

Meanwhile, India's Ministry of External Affairs recently stated that between January and December 8, 2024, there were 2,200 attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. However, the Bangladesh government has dismissed this claim. The press wing of Bangladesh's interim government advisor, Mohammad Yunus, stated that the figures were exaggerated and that the attacks on minorities were primarily politically motivated.

Despite these denials, reports of consecutive attacks on Hindu temples continue to emerge from Bangladesh.