In a brazen and incendiary act of communal violence, unidentified assailants set ablaze a 50-year-old Kali temple in the Hindu-majority village of Ghuna-Sadarpara in the Garpara Union of Manikganj Sadar upazila.
The pre-dawn arson attack, which occurred at approximately 3:00 AM on Tuesday (May 27), reduced the sanctum and the idol of Goddess Kali to smoldering ruins.
Local residents, awakened by the acrid smell of smoke and the crackle of flames, rushed to the site in a desperate attempt to extinguish the blaze.
However, the fire had already consumed the wooden structure and sacred statue by the time help arrived.
The inferno has sent shockwaves through the local Hindu community, who now live under an ominous cloud of fear and uncertainty.
“This temple was not just a place of worship—it was our sanctuary, a symbol of our spiritual continuity and cultural identity,” said Jugol Chandra Das, the grief-stricken president of the temple committee.
“It was built nearly five decades ago and had never been subjected to such desecration. This attack feels like a deep wound carved into the soul of our community.”
Multiple eyewitnesses stated that the incident appeared to be meticulously premeditated.
Residents reported suspicious late-night activities around the temple in the days preceding the attack.
Bireen, a long-time resident of Ghuna-Sadarpara, recounted that for several nights, a white Toyota HiAce van would arrive and stop roughly 100 yards north of the temple.
“Around 8 to 10 individuals were often seen loitering around the area,” he said.
“In hindsight, it seems clear this was a deliberate reconnaissance mission before the premeditated attack.”
This development has intensified suspicions that the temple burning was not a random act of vandalism, but a deliberate attempt to terrorize a minority community already living in constant fear.
More than 600 members of the Hindu community live in this village, where feelings of insecurity have surged markedly since the national government fell on August 5 last year, locals say.
Superintendent of Police Mosammat Yasmin Khatun, accompanied by senior officials, visited the scene and vowed a thorough Investigation.
“We are taking this matter with the utmost seriousness,” she stated.
“We will leave no stone unturned in identifying and prosecuting those responsible for this heinous act.”
Despite the assurances, the community remains skeptical.
“We’ve heard promises before,” said another resident who requested anonymity.
“But how many of these cases ever result in justice? We need protection, not platitudes.”
The torching of the Kali temple in Manikganj is the latest in a deeply alarming pattern of attacks against religious minorities in Bangladesh, where Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians have often found themselves at the receiving end of orchestrated violence under the Yunus regime.
The ongoing political volatility and a perceived climate of impunity have only emboldened extremist elements who seek to foment sectarian discord.
“This is a flagrant violation of religious freedom and minority rights,” said a spokesperson from the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council.
“We demand an independent probe and immediate security measures for vulnerable communities in Bangladesh.”
Source : The Chittagong Hill Tracts
