Religious Freedom

On the night of October 12, students of the 17th batch of Jagannath University’s Department of Islamic History and Culture organised a graduation feast beside the campus temple in Old Dhaka. Beef khichuri was cooked near its entrance and bricks belonging to the temple were used to construct a makeshift cooking stove. Jagannath University’s own …

Continue reading "Temple Bricks Used in Beef Feast Outside Jagannath University Campus Temple in Dhaka Trigger Nationwide Anti-Hindu Hate, Student Saikat Haldar “Temporarily Expelled” on Unsubstantiated Blasphemy Charges While Condemning Vulgar Remarks Against Hindus and Hinduism"

By Tanmay Majumdar, General Secretary, Bogura Majumdarpara Temple Committee Durga Puja is a celebration of faith, dignity and the triumph of good over evil. Yet, for us, preparing for Durga Puja has become a fearful exercise. By 9th October, our arrangements were nearly complete. Alarmed by repeated attacks on Durga idols across Bangladesh, we began …

Continue reading "“They Tell Us to Go to India. But This Is Our Ancestral Home”: Kartik, Ganesh and Lakshmi Idols Vandalised Inside Majumdarpara Durga Puja Mandap, Temple Committee Secretary Tanmay Majumdar Threatened for Speaking Out"

Subrata Babu, owner of Subrata Dahi Mishti Bhandar in Ward No. 15 under Fulhari Union of Jhenaidah District and his nearly 100-year-old mother were assaulted following a dispute over unpaid sweets and curd. Subrata states that several people had previously taken curd from his shop by force without paying. When the same individuals had returned …

Continue reading "Hindu Sweet Seller Subrata Babu and His Nearly 100-Year-Old Mother Assaulted by Islamists After Refusing to Provide Sweets Without Payment in Shailkupa, Bangladesh"

Insaf Kayemkari Chhatra Sramik Janata’s 8-Point Charter Seeks a Ban on Idol Immersion, the Removal of Puja Mandaps From Public View, Limits on the Number, Size and Height of Durga Pratimas, an End to Government-Funded Food for Impoverished Hindus, No Public Holidays for Puja and Compulsory Political Protests by Hindu Puja Committees Over Perceived Persecution …

Continue reading "Islamist Pressure Group Presents Charter Demanding No Puja Holidays, No Pratima Immersion, No Public Mandaps And Not a Grain of Government-Funded Food For Impoverished Devotees, Denounces Durga Puja As A “Sinful and Depraved” Practice Of Shirk"

Mecheda in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district witnessed a large street protest organised by the Bajrang Dal and other local Hindu organisations on 27th September. The protestors demanded that authorities investigate what they describe as an organised campaign of deceptive proselytisation being conducted through two Pentecostal ministries, The Church of Glory and Wisdom and The …

Continue reading "Mecheda Erupts in Protest: Hindus Take to the Streets Against Alleged Deceitful Mass-Conversion Drive by Punjab-Based Missions Led by Convicted Rapist Pastor Baljinder Singh and Pastor Ankur Narula"

Fresh tensions have erupted in Purba Medinipur District after local Hindu residents began preparations for this year’s Durga Puja in Ward No. 10 of Panskura Municipality. According to local residents, many of the Muslim residents had objected to the Puja preparations during the traditional Khuti Puja ritual, indicating the beginning of the Puja Mandap construction. …

Continue reading "Hindus in Panskura Forced to Perform Khunti Puja Under West Bengal Police Protection After Muslim Crowd Objects to Durga Puja Preparations"

A Muslim mob opposed the construction of a welcoming gate for a Durga Puja mandap near Samudrapur School in Ashoknagar under North 24 Parganas, claiming that the entire locality belongs to Muslims. Hindus preparing to celebrate Durga Puja, the defining festival of Bengali culture, were told that they could not erect a welcoming gate because …

Continue reading "Muslim Mob Opposes Construction Of Welcoming Gate For Durga Puja Mandap in Ashoknagar of West Bengal, Claims Entire Locality as a “Muslim Area”"

Tensions have erupted in the Debpukur region of Barrackpore under West Bengal, following allegations of an organised campaign to persuade economically vulnerable Hindus to convert to Christianity. Local residents allege that Christian women, some reportedly wearing traditional Hindu ornaments such as shankha and pola, have repeatedly approached Hindu families in the area over recent months, …

Continue reading "Tensions Mount in Debpukur of West Bengal Over Newly Converted Christians Repeatedly Targeting Economically Vulnerable Hindus With Cash and Job Promises"

The family of Anil Baral from Sriramkathi Union under Pirojpur District of Bangladesh has been facing a sustained campaign of intimidation, property encroachment and violence. According to the family, staying in their home has become a source of daily fear. A Family Driven Into Hiding According to the victim’s family, trees on Anil Baral’s property …

Continue reading "Anil Baral and Family Driven Into Hiding as Alleged Land Grabbers Threaten Their Lives Claiming Affiliation With Both BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami"

68-year-old Hindu widow Pranati Rani Das has accused Sohail Azad of setting fire to her home while she was sleeping inside at approximately 2:30 a.m. on September 18 in the Mithachhara area of Mirsarai under Chattogram. According to Pranati Rani, the blaze reduced her house and all her belongings to ashes, leaving her facing the …

Continue reading "68-Year-Old Hindu Widow Pranati Rani Das Accuses Sohail Azad of Burning Down Her Ancestral Home, Leaving Her Penniless and Homeless Amid Alleged Police Inaction in Mirsarai of Chattogram"