Hindu Voice Team: A Kali temple located within the Pirojpur Municipal Crematorium was reportedly vandalised and set on fire in the early hours of Sunday, triggering anger and concern among members of the local Hindu community.
According to local sources, the incident is believed to have occurred between 3:00 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. Police officials stated that the temple’s donation box was taken away, along with several items used in funeral and cremation rites.
Sunil Chakraborty, president of the Municipal Crematorium Committee, said that upon visiting the site, he found the idol of Lord Shiva adjacent to the Kali temple damaged. He further alleged that parts of the broken idol had been removed from the temple premises and burned outside.
In addition to the damage to the temple and religious idols, the main gate of the crematorium was reportedly broken, and various materials used for last rites were found missing.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Shariful Islam of Pirojpur Sadar Police Station said that preliminary findings suggest the perpetrators may have entered the temple with the intention of stealing money and valuables. However, he added that investigators are examining whether any other motives were involved.
“An investigation has been launched, and police are working to identify those responsible,” the OC said.
Following reports of the incident, District Council Administrator Alamgir Hossain, Municipal Administrator Mahmudur Rahman Mamun, and Superintendent of Police Mohammad Manjur Ahmed Siddiqui visited the site to assess the situation.
The incident has sparked outrage among members of the minority Hindu community in the area, who have demanded a thorough investigation and swift action against those responsible. Authorities have assured that the matter is being taken seriously and that efforts are underway to determine the full circumstances surrounding the attack.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
The latest attack has renewed concerns among Bangladesh’s Hindu minority community, which has repeatedly reported incidents of vandalism, land-grabbing, intimidation, and attacks on temples and religious institutions in different parts of the country. Community leaders and minority rights advocates argue that such incidents contribute to a growing sense of insecurity among Hindus, who constitute one of the country’s largest religious minorities.
Local residents and Hindu community representatives said the vandalism at the Pirojpur crematorium temple is not an isolated event but part of a broader pattern of attacks on minority religious sites that have been reported over the years. They have called for a transparent investigation, strict punishment for those responsible, and stronger measures to protect religious minorities and their places of worship.
The incident has further heightened anxiety among local Hindus, many of whom fear that repeated attacks on temples and religious symbols could deepen communal tensions and undermine confidence in the safety of minority communities.
