Hate crime in Assam: Durga Mata temple is attacked, Murtis broken, the Police arrested Salauddin Ali

Hindu Voice Desk: Tension gripped Goalpara town after unidentified miscreants vandalised multiple Murtis at the Durga Temple complex, damaging those in the Shiva Temple, Ma Manasa Temple, and Durga Temple. 

According to reports, the act of vandalism and desecration occurred late at night of the 8th of July, Tuesday when unidentified persons entered the temple premises and began smashing Murtis. The temple secretary, Banamali Das, who rushed in upon hearing the noise, was allegedly bitten on the hand by one of the miscreants as they fled the scene. Besides vandalising the Murtis, miscreants also broke the donation box of the temple. 

The incident has triggered widespread outrage among local Hindu residents.

A massive crowd gathered outside the temple soon after the news broke, with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the Bengali Federation, and local residents protesting the incident and raising slogans, creating a highly tense atmosphere.

A local resident said, “The temple is 70 years old. This type of incident never happened. We demand the strongest punishment for those who did this.”

Clothes and a mobile phone believed to belong to the perpetrators were recovered from the temple premises. Based on these leads, the police immediately launched an investigation.

Later, the Goalpara Police confirmed that a person has been arrested. The arrested person has been identified as Salauddin Ali. The investigation is going on to find out if others are involved in the crime with the main accused Salauddin Ali.