A mob vandalized three Hindu temples in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on Friday, damaging the Shantaneshwari Matri and Shoni Temples. The attack follows the arrest of spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das on sedition charges, sparking protests.
Three Hindu temples in Bangladesh were vandalized on Friday around 2:30 pm in the port city’s Harish Chandra Munsef Lane. The targeted temples included Shantaneshwari Matri Temple, the nearby Shoni Temple, and the Shantaneshwari Kalibari Temple, according to news portal BD News24.com.
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A slogan-shouting mob vandalized the temples on November 29, in Bangladesh’s Chattogram, which has witnessed protests and violence since a former ISKCON member was booked under sedition charges.”A group of several hundred slogan-shouting people threw brickbats at the temples, damaging the Shoni Temple and the gates of the other two temples,” the news portal quoted temple authorities.
Kotwali Police Station chief Abdul Karim confirmed the attack, saying that assailants attempted to damage the temples. Police, however, said the damage to the temples was minimal after the confrontation between the two sides, with both groups throwing brickbats at each other, it added.
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Tapan Das, a permanent member of the Shantineshwari Main Temple management committee, told bdnews24.com that a procession of hundreds arrived after Friday prayers, shouting anti-Hindu and anti-ISKCON slogans.
“We did not obstruct the attackers. When the situation worsened, we called the army, who arrived quickly and helped restore order. All the temple gates were closed before noon. The miscreants arrived unprovoked and carried out the attack,” he said.
Spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Bangladesh, was arrested on Monday in connection with a sedition case and denied bail on Tuesday. His arrest sparked protests by Hindu community members in various locations across Bangladesh, including the capital Dhaka and Chattogram.
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On October 30, a sedition case was filed at Chattogram’s Kotwali Police Station against 19 individuals, including Das, accusing them of disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag during a Hindu community rally in the New Market area of Chattogram.
On Tuesday, New Delhi expressed concern over Das’s arrest and bail denial, urging Bangladesh to ensure the safety of Hindus and other minorities. The recent anti-Hindu incidents have escalated tensions between the two South Asian neighbors.
India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, told Parliament on Friday that the surge in extremist rhetoric and increasing violence against Hindus and attacks on temples in Bangladesh had raised serious concern. He emphasized that it was Bangladesh’s primary responsibility to protect the life and liberty of all its citizens, including minorities.
(With PTI Inputs)
