Durga Puja is an integral part of Hindu Bengali culture. Apart from being a religious festival, it is an emotion that resonates in the hearts of the Bengali community. As such, it comes as no surprise that Bengalis wait in sheer anticipation of the annual Durga Puja. But, for Hindus living across the border in Bangladesh, the auspicious occasion was sullied by violence, vandalism, killings, rapes and desecration at the hands of radical Islamists.

In a Muslim-majority nation where they constitute less than 10% of the total population, Hindus remain vulnerable to attacks by radical Islamic terrorists. Opindia has documented 100s of such cases of persecution and ill-treatment meted out to the minority community. Given Bangladeshs track record of human rights violations, attacks on Hindus remains a routine affair. However, this time the Islamists tried to create a context to justify their ruthless atrocities on minorities, ahead of Durga Puja.

In the wee hours of Wednesday (October 13), radical Islamists reportedly entered the Nanuar Dighir Par Durga Mandir in Cumilla district and placed a copy of the Quran on the feet of the idol of Lord Hanuman. According to Shibu Prasad Dutta, the general secretary of Cumilla Mahanagar Puja Udjapon Committee, someone carried out the mischief in the morning when the guard was asleep. The miscreants took some pictures of this and ran away. Within a few hours, using Facebook, the propaganda spread like wildfire with the provocative pictures, confirmed a district official.

The foundation for orchestrating a Hindu pogrom was perfectly laid The insult of the Holy Book, the punishment for which is death. Dipan Mitra, the Secretary-General of World Hindu federation (Bangladesh Chapter), stated, Then they raised an issue of insulting Islam and gathered a mob and started attacked Hindu Temples in Cumilla town. After that, the attack on temples and Hindus was spread all over the country

He further added, They Vandalized more than 315 Temples and its Idols and looted all valuable things in more than 30 districts of Bangladesh during 13 16 October 2021. They attacked and vandalized nearly 1500 Hindu houses in Cumilla, Chandpur, Noakhali, Chittagong, Coxs Bazar, Feni, Chapai Nawabgonj and other districts. Mitra recounted the names of the 10 Hindus who were slaughtered by radical Islamists under the garb of blasphemy. They included Manik Saha, Jatan Saha, Prashanta Das, Priest Nimai Krishna, 4 unnamed Hindu priests and 1 more unidentified victim. Besides, 23 Hindu women and girls were raped and 17 Hindus remain missing.

Mitra concluded, Now is the time to clarify the position of the government do they want Bangladesh to be a secular prosperous Bangladesh or do they want to take it back to the ideology of previous Pakistan. He also mentioned that the lack of justice is giving birth to new crimes in this country. He appealed to the government for immediate arrest of all culprits and provides exemplary punishment.

While blaming the Hindu community for the desecration of the Quran, Islamists vandalised the Durga Puja pandal and the idols of the deities kept at the Nanuar Dighir Par Durga Mandir in Cumilla. According to Dipan Mitra, the Islamic extremists also attacked the Nrisingh Dev and Dashavuja Kali temples. He added that the mob also vandalised the Rishipara temple, Rajeswari Kali temple, besides 14 other temples and Durga pandals in the district.

The Secretary-General of the World Hindu Federation (Bangladesh Chapter) informed that the Muslim fanatics attacked 15 Puja pandals (Banskhali), 3 temples and puja pandals (Melaghar in Patia), 5 temples and Puja pandals (Sarkarhat and Hathazari) in the Chittagonj district. He added that attacks were also carried out at the Karunamoyi Kalibari temple at Chakbazar and J M Sen Hall Puja Pandal in Chittagonj.

At the same time, 70 Hindu houses were attacked in Hajiganj in the Chandpur district. About 150 Hindu families were targeted along with the iconic Ramkrishna Mission. Besides, 7 temples and puja pandals were also destroyed by Muslim extremists. Advocate Dr Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, Secretary-General of Bangladesh Jatio Hindu Mohajote, shared the news of the death of Manik Saha, publicity secretary of Chandpur district branch of Bangladesh National Hindu Youth Grand Alliance.

The Islamists attacked the Ram Thakur Ashram and vandalised 10 temples and puja pandals including Mongola, Nabadurga, Bijoya, Trishul and Koatbari Puja Pandal. About 20 houses were attacked in Nalchira, Chayanibazar, Begumgonj, Choumohoni and Sonaimuri. At the same time, 9 temples and puja pandals were vandalised at Choumohoni in Noakhali.

On Friday (October 15), a frenzied mob of radical Islamists attacked the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in the Noakhali district of Bangladesh.In a tweet, the official handle of ISKCON wrote, ISKCON temple & devotees were violently attacked today by a mob in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Temple suffered significant damage & the condition of a devotee remains critical. We call on the Govt of Bangladesh to ensure the safety of all Hindus & bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Bangladesh unit of ISKCON lamented that the sculpture of its founder, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, was burnt down during the arson attack on the temple. A Twitter account (@HinduVoice_in) had shared disturbing visuals of arson by radical Islamists. In the video clip, flames and smoke were seen rising from the burnt ISKCON temple. SpokesmanRadharamn Das had shared visuals of a Hindu monk, who was critically injured after sustaining a dagger attack to his head.

In a video that has now surfaced on social media, a Hindu monk at ISKCONnarrated, Hare Krishna! Today, Jamaat attacked the ISKCON temple and other temples in Choumani in Noakhali. They have executed it as part of a vicious plan. ISKCON Mandir has been desecrated. They have killed one devotee outright and stabbed another, leading to his critical state. Several motorcycles were set on fire. There was a mob of 400-500 people. They have looted 1 lakh taka from our temple The Noakhali administration has yet not taken any action against the miscreants.

Radical Islamists attacked Hindus in the Feni district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh. A 14-second video clip had gone viral wherein radical Islamists could be seencreating mayhem on the streets. Equipped with lathis, the frenzied mob gathered in large numbers and then looted and vandalised Hindu temples in unison.

Reportedly, the President of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, Shukdeb Nath Tapan, was attacked by the same Islamist mob near the Joykali temple. The Hindu community was preparing to lead a march from the said temple to the old Dhaka-Chattogram Highways Trunk Road. Islamists, who had gathered near Trunk Road Bara Masjid attacked the Hindus with sticks and brickbats. In a bid to control the law and order situation, the cops deployed a large team in the Feni town. They resorted to firing tear gas shells to disperse the unruly mob.

According to Officer-in-Charge (Feni Model Police Station) Nizam Uddin, more than 40 people were injured during the clashes. They were then rushed to the Feni General Hospital. According to Shukdeb, the district administration took time in sending in Border Guard Bangladesh (BGF)and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The attackers torched a passenger vehicle at Kalipal, hurled crude bombs, vandalised a fire truck and attacked Hindu temples such as JoyKali, Jagannathbari, Kalibari Temple and Gaziganj Ashram.

As per eyewitnesses, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami named Islami Chhatra Shibir was among the perpetrators. Local activists of the Awami League and its student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League tried to resist the attackers. Weve got reports about vandalism of shops. We are working on it, stated Inspector Monir Hossain (Feni Model Police Station).

In a fresh attack on Sunday (October 17), they carried out arson at a village and burnt 20 Hindu homes in Pirganj Upazila in the Rangpur Division of Bangladesh.

BDNews24reportedthat Muslims in Jelepolli in Majipara had alleged that a Hindu man had posted content dishonouring religion on Facebook. District Superintendent Md Qamruzzaman stated, Police stood guard around his home. That home was saved, but the attackers set fire to some other homes not so far from his. The frenzied mob of radical Islamists targeted three villages namely, Majhipara, Bottola and Hatibandha villages in Pirganj Upazila.

BDNews24 added that the Fire Service Department received information about the arson attack at around 9:50 pm. It was only at 3 am on Monday morning that the fire could finally be extinguished. While there have been no casualties or estimates of the damage caused, it is believed that 15-20 houses were burnt down during the attack.

Dipan Mitra, the Secretary-General of the World Hindu Federation (Bangladesh Chapter) shared a list of temples, Hindu houses that were attacked and burnt in 24 other districts of Bangladesh. His comprehensive list reads

In a statement on Friday (October 15), the International Commission for Human Rights and Religious Freedom(ICHRRF) condemned the targeted attacks on the minority Hindu population during Durga Puja. ICHRRF remarked, Durga Puja is the years biggest religious festivity in traditional Bengali Hindu culture, and is a time of great celebration, musical performance, dioramas, feasts, parades and personal reflection, observed across social divides in Bengali society. However, this iconic Hindu religious festival has come under gruesome attack from Muslim mobs this year in Bangladesh, vandalizing Hindu temples, smashing icons, and assaulting devotees.

It further added, Across 22 districts of Bangladesh, major and minor incidents of attacks and vandalism have so far claimed the lives of at least 4 people and injured over 60 others, some critically. The violence erupted in Cumilla after rumours of an act of blasphemy at a Hindu religious gathering. Attacks followed in quick succession at several other locations. ICHRRF also condemned the targeting of the ISKCON temple in Noakhali. The International Commission for Human Rights and Religious Freedom also criticised the action of the Bangladeshi police.

To stop the attacks, Bangladesh police authorities have enforced a ban on all kinds of gatherings and rallies in several districts, effectively squelching public festivities and giving in to Islamist demands to exterminate overtly Hindu observances. The police also opened fire on a gathering of over 500 people, which is reported to have resulted in some casualties. The Durga Puja attacks this year are not isolated. They form part of a continuing series of attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus since early this year, which in turn are part of a decades long process of ethnic cleansing of minorities from Bangladesh, it concluded.

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From Hindu temples to Durga Puja pandals, Hindu homes, shops and villages: Comprehensive account of the carnage in Bangladesh by Islamists - OpIndia