2021 anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh

By 22 October at least 3 Hindus were reported killed, and at least over 150 others injured. At least 80 temples (200 mandapas) were damaged by mobs. At least 4000 were charged and 400 detained by police.[6]

The incident started in Cumilla district where attacks were carried out on different temples from October 13 till October 16. Durga puja venue of Nanua Dighir Par and Chandmoni Kali temple became the target for the attackers soon after the rumor of demeaning Quran spread across the area. A septuagenarian Hindu man, Dilip Das, died in a hospital, succumbing to the injuries.[3]

At least 4 people died in Chandpur when Police fired at an angry mob brought out a procession, and launched an attack on some Durga puja venue of the district, on October 13.[8]

Ariyan Sajjad, a member of Hajiganj municipality Chhatra League, and Hridoy Hassan Zahid, the son of local Awami League leader Shahida Begum,[9] called the local Muslims to launch an attack on temples and pandals of Hindus in protest of the "desecration of Quran" in Cumilla. A mob was gathered after the posts and swooped on the Hindu temples and pandals after a short protest.[9]

In Chattogram, a group of zealots from a procession brought out in the Andarkilla area started throwing brickbats targeting the J M Sen Hall Puja Mandap. Witnesses said as the group threw brickbats at the temple housing the mandap and tried to vandalize it, police chased them away leading to a clash between the law enforcers and the zealots. Police fired shots in the air and lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse the attackers, who had brought out the procession after Juma prayers. Police said they detained around 50 protestors from the spot.[10]

Under the leadership of a local Awami League leader, a temple and establishments owned by Hindus were attacked by an angry mob on October 14 in Lama area of Bandarban. The Lama central Hari Mandir was attacked from a rally of angry mob who were protesting the "demeaning of Quran". They also attacked the shops of Hindu people in the Lama market area. Lama Upazila Awami League general secretary Zahirul Islam addressed the mob before they started attacking the temple according to the local police officials.[11]

The body of a Hindu man was recovered from a pond adjacent to the temple on Saturday after an attack on Begumganj's Chaumuhani in Noakhali, Bangladesh, on Friday.[12] After receiving the Qur'an in a puja mandapa in Comilla on Wednesday, six people were killed in attacks and violence on temples and puja mandals in different parts of the country including Comilla and Chandpur.[13] Police said a puja mandapa in Begumganj in Noakhali district was attacked and set on fire and idols were vandalized inside another temple on Friday. Local Hindu community leaders claim that the man whose body was found in the pond was killed in yesterday's attack. Three others were seriously injured in the attack and are being treated at the hospital.

Police had earlier confirmed that one person was killed in yesterday's clash at Chaumuhani in Begumganj, Noakhali. But this morning, when another body floated in the pond adjacent to the ISKCON temple in Chaumuhani, the people of the temple could recognize him. Chinmoy Krishnadas Brahmachari, divisional secretary of ISKCON[14] Chittagong, says the body found was named Pranta Chandra Das. He has been missing since the clashes yesterday. "We couldn't find the boy. We searched a lot at night, in the pondSince the boy had already been killed with a blow, he had been severely beaten. His body was found in the morning. Police and fire service came and rescued him, "said Mr. Das. After the body was found, people of the Hindu community took to the streets to protest.

Babul Rudra, president of the management committee of Palpara Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir in Kashimpur Bazar and president of the Kashimpur Puja Celebration Committee, said that when worshipers were worshiping at the temple after 8 am on Thursday, suddenly 'hundreds of people' attacked Lakshmi with sticks. The idol of Asura was vandalized and left.This caused panic in the area. Earlier, around 6am, 'more than three hundred people' attacked the family temple of Subal Das, a businessman from Kashimpur Paschimpara area, and the local Palpara Namabazar public temple, Deputy Commissioner of Police Zakir Hasan.[15]

After the Friday prayers on Friday (October 15), some worshipers came out of the Andarkilla Shahi Jame Mosque and tried to break through the gate of the adjoining JMSen Hall.[16] The puja committee also alleged that the banner was torn down and stones were thrown at the idol. Witnesses said some worshipers gathered at the Andarkilla Shahi Jame Mosque gate after Friday prayers to protest the Comilla incident. From there they marched towards JMsen Hall. Although there was a traffic police cordon at the corner, they broke it and proceeded. They tried to break through the gate as the main gate of JMSen Hall premises was already closed.[17] At this time, they threw stones inside and tore down various banners hung on the road and surrounding walls for worship. In the puja mandapa of JMsen Hall, women of different ages were preparing to bid farewell to the goddess with drink, oil and vermilion. When the commotion started outside, there was panic among them. The police members of the police dispersed the tear shell and dispersed the attackers. The attackers fled at this time. The attackers fled at this time. Ashish Bhattacharya, president of the Chittagong Metropolitan Worship Celebration Council, told reporters, ‘Every year the work of immersion starts from 11 am. This time the government had instructed to leave the puja mandapa for prayers after half past two in the afternoon. That is why we were waiting in the mandapa to perform religious rituals. We were attacked here just in time.[18]

On Wednesday (October 13) evening, a group of extremist miscreants along with a procession attacked and vandalized the puja mandapa of Biswas Para in Sadar Union of Pekua Upazila with provocative slogans. After receiving the news, the police reached the spot and chased the attackers. The police fired blank shots to bring the situation under control. At one point, the attackers vandalized several houses in the surrounding Hindu community as they fled. After this incident, extremists took out different processions in different areas of Pekua at night. From these processions, puja mandals and houses of Hindus in different areas including Kachari Mura Shil Para and Magnamar Shil Para of Shilkhali were vandalized and set on fire. According to the District Worship Celebration Council, extremists have vandalized six pavilions, vandalized 30 houses and set fire to one house in Pekua.

Shyamal Chandra Das, general secretary of Kamalganj Upazila Puja Celebration Committee, said a group of people attacked the Muidibazar Moidail Puja mandapa between 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm on Wednesday night and vandalized the idol. Besides, arches and electric lights of Basudebpur Puja Mandap, Akhra Puja Mandap of Vrindavanpur Jagannath Jio of Patanushar Union and Bairagir Chowk Public Puja Mandap were vandalized, he said. .Munshibazar Union Parishad members Sunil Malakar and Rezaul Karim Noman said the gates of Rampur Public Puja Mandap and Narayankhet Shabdakar Academy Puja Mandap were also vandalized.[19] Kamalganj Upazila Parishad Vice Chairman Rambhajan Kairi confirmed the vandalism of the idol at Kamarchhara Tea Garden Pujamandap. .Moulvibazar District Puja Celebration Parishad leader Jahar Tarafdar said six temples in Kamalganj and two other religious institutions in Kulaura were attacked. “In Kamalganj, by placing pots in separate places in one of the two broken temples, only the ninth puja of the goddess will be performed. .However, the situation in the district is calm at the moment. ” Kamalganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ashekul Haque said, “We are inspecting all the places. The situation is under control. The BGB has been deployed since Thursday morning to provide security to the puja mandapa. At the same time, a large number of police have been deployed to conduct the puja peacefully.”

A clash broke out on October 16 in Feni between the local Hindu community and Muslims when a group of Hindu dwellers of the district was protesting the nationwide attack on Hindu community during the Durga Puja festival. The clash left around a dozen of people from both communities injured.[20]

The Sri Sri Kali temple in Kadim Maijhati village of Gundhar union of the upazila was attacked and vandalized. On Friday afternoon, a group of people came with a procession and attacked the temple. They vandalized five idols and furniture.

property damage to by communal violence in Pirganj

A group of mob set fire to around a dozen Hindu-owned houses in Rangpur's Pirganj Upazila on October 17 after an alleged post by a local Hindu boy on Kaaba went viral.[21] Local Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders instigated the mob alleging that the post demeaned the holy place vandalized the houses, set fire, and obstructed fire-fighters to douse the fire.[22]

It was later revealed that, Saikat Mandal, the vice-president of philosophy department Chhatra League at Rangpur's Carmichael College, had a personal conflict with a local Hindu youth Paritosh Sarkar. During the nationwide communal violence, Saikat and his followers in Bangladesh Chhatra League collaborated with the imam of a local mosque to instigate the local Muslim population to conduct the attack on Hindu villages of the area.[22]