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From 13 to 19 October 2021, Muslim mobs instigated communal violence against Hindu communities across Bangladesh during the
Durga Puja Durga Puja (ISO 15919, ISO: , ), also known as Durgotsava or Shaaradotsava, is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which pays homage to the Hinduism, Hindu goddess Durga, and is also celebrated because of Durga's victo ...
festival, in response to a viral video where
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
was kept under a temple idol's feet. More than 50 temples and makeshift worship arrangements were vandalised all over Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government deployed the paramilitary BGB forces in 22 of the 64 administrative districts of Bangladesh to quell violence against the Hindu community. Police have arrested at least 450 people over the clashes and attacks. As of 20 October 2021, at least 8 people have been killed across the country, including 3 Hindus & 5 Muslims. On 24 October, One more Hindu man who was injured during the clash died while undergoing treatment in Dhaka.


Background

Hindus make up 7.9% of Bangladesh's 165 million population. Bangladesh's Hindu minority was preparing for the largest religious festival of the Hindu community in the second week of October 2021. Like every year, makeshift arrangements to offer worship were set up across the country. On the morning of 13 October, allegations of defaming the
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
emerged from a makeshift temple in Comilla district, when reports of a copy of the Quran being found on the lap of an idol circulated through the social media platforms. As an immediate reaction, the government urged people to calm down and instructed the police to investigate the incident. However, soon after the report was circulated, an angry mob started attacking local temples in
Comilla Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern Bangladesh. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Duli ...
. The religious tension soon spread to other districts of Bangladesh. A few days later, a Muslim man named Iqbal Hossain was arrested by police for placing the copy of the Quran on the lap of the idol at Nanua Dighir Par puja mandap in Comilla on 13 October.


Summary of dead, injured and attack on temples

By 22 October at least 3 Hindus were reported killed, and at least over 150 others injured. At least 80 temples (200
mandapa A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...
s) were damaged by mobs. At least 4000 were charged and 400 detained by police.


Attack on Hindu temples and minority communities

Reports of attacks on temples, houses, shops of minorities, looting of belongings, and murder were documented in at least a dozen districts of Bangladesh mostly in the southern area, including
Comilla Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern Bangladesh. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Duli ...
, Chandpur,
Noakhali Noakhali District (), historically known as Bhulua (), is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in Chattogram Division. It was established as a district in 1821, and officially named Noakhali in 1868. The distr ...
,
Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...
,
Bandarban Bandarban is a small town in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of Bandarban District. It is located on the Sangu River. Demographics According to the 2022 Bangladesh census, Bandarban city had a population of 54,450 and ...
,
Cox's Bazar Cox's Bazar (; ; ) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and Cox's Bazar District, district headquarters in south-eastern Bangladesh. Cox's Bazar Beach, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bangladesh, is the longest uninterrupte ...
, Narshingdi and
Gazipur Gazipur () is a city in central Bangladesh. Located in Gazipur District in Dhaka Division, it is a major industrial city north of Dhaka. It is a hub for the textile industry in Bangladesh, with 75% of all garment industries situated there. ...
.


Comilla

The incident started in Comilla district where attacks were carried out on different temples from 13 October till 16 October. Durga puja venue of Nanua Dighir Par and Chandmoni Kali temple became the target for the attackers soon after the rumor of demeaning Quran spread across the area. A septuagenarian Hindu man, Dilip Das, died in a hospital, succumbing to the injuries.


Chandpur

At least 4 people died in Chandpur when Police fired at an angry mob brought out a procession, and launched an attack on some Durga puja venue of the district, on 13 October. Ariyan Sajjad, a member of Hajiganj municipality
Chhatra League Bangladesh Chhatra League, simply Chhatra League (), is the student wing of the political party, Bangladesh Awami League, founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 4 January 1948. The organisation is banned and listed as a terrorist organisation in B ...
, and Hridoy Hassan Zahid, the son of local Awami League leader Shahida Begum, called the local Muslims to launch an attack on temples and pandals of Hindus in protest of the "desecration of Quran" in Comilla. A mob was gathered after the posts and swooped on the Hindu temples and pandals after a short protest.


Bandarban

Under the leadership of a local
Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...
leader, a temple and establishments owned by Hindus were attacked by an angry mob on 14 October in Lama area of Bandarban. The Lama central Hari Mandir was attacked from a rally of angry mob who were protesting the "demeaning of Quran". They also attacked the shops of Hindu people in the Lama market area. Lama Upazila Awami League general secretary Zahirul Islam addressed the mob before they started attacking the temple according to the local police officials.


Noakhali

The body of a Hindu man was recovered from a pond adjacent to the temple on Saturday after an attack on Begumganj's Chaumuhani in Noakhali, Bangladesh, on Friday. After receiving the Qur'an in a puja mandapa in Comilla on Wednesday, six people were killed in attacks and violence on temples and puja mandals in different parts of the country including Comilla and Chandpur. Police said a puja mandapa in Begumganj in Noakhali district was attacked and set on fire and idols were vandalized inside another temple on Friday. Local Hindu community leaders claim that the man whose body was found in the pond was killed in yesterday's attack. Three others were seriously injured in the attack and are being treated at the hospital. Police had earlier confirmed that one person was killed in yesterday's clash at Chaumuhani in Begumganj, Noakhali. But this morning, when another body floated in the pond adjacent to the ISKCON temple in Chaumuhani, the people of the temple could recognize him. Chinmoy Krishnadas Brahmachari, divisional secretary of
ISKCON The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 ...
Chittagong, says the body found was named Pranta Chandra Das. He has been missing since the clashes yesterday. "We couldn't find the boy. We searched a lot at night, in the pond. Since the boy had already been killed with a blow, he had been severely beaten. His body was found in the morning. Police and fire service came and rescued him," said Mr. Das. After the body was found, people of the Hindu community took to the streets to protest.


Gazipur

Babul Rudra, president of the management committee of Palpara Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir in Kashimpur Bazar and president of the Kashimpur Puja Celebration Committee, said that when worshipers were worshiping at the temple after 8 am on Thursday, suddenly 'hundreds of people' attacked Lakshmi with sticks. The idol of Asura was vandalized and left.This caused panic in the area. Earlier, around 6am, 'more than three hundred people' attacked the family temple of Subal Das, a businessman from Kashimpur Paschimpara area, and the local Palpara Namabazar public temple, Deputy Commissioner of Police Zakir Hasan.


Chittagong

After the Friday prayers on Friday (15 October), some worshipers came out of the Andarkilla Shahi Jame Mosque and tried to break through the gate of the adjoining JMSen Hall. The puja committee also alleged that the banner was torn down and stones were thrown at the idol. Witnesses said some worshipers gathered at the Andarkilla Shahi Jame Mosque gate after Friday prayers to protest the Comilla incident. From there they marched towards JMsen Hall. Although there was a traffic police cordon at the corner, they broke it and proceeded. They tried to break through the gate as the main gate of JMSen Hall premises was already closed. At this time, they threw stones inside and tore down various banners hung on the road and surrounding walls for worship. In the puja mandapa of JMsen Hall, women of different ages were preparing to bid farewell to the goddess with drink, oil and vermilion. When the commotion started outside, there was panic among them. The police members of the police dispersed the tear shell and dispersed the attackers. The attackers fled at this time. The attackers fled at this time. Ashish Bhattacharya, president of the Chittagong Metropolitan Worship Celebration Council, told reporters, 'Every year the work of immersion starts from 11 am. This time the government had instructed to leave the puja mandapa for prayers after half past two in the afternoon. That is why we were waiting in the mandapa to perform religious rituals. We were attacked here just in time. A group of zealots from a procession brought out in the Andarkilla area started throwing brickbats targeting the J M Sen Hall Puja Mandap. Witnesses said as the group threw brickbats at the temple housing the mandap and tried to vandalize it, police chased them away leading to a clash between the law enforcers and the
zealots The Zealots were members of a Jewish political movements, Jewish political movement during the Second Temple period who sought to incite the people of Judaea (Roman province), Judaea to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the Land ...
. Police fired shots in the air and lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse the attackers, who had brought out the procession after Jum'ah prayer. Police said they detained around 50 protestors from the spot.


Cox's Bazar

On Wednesday (13 October) evening, a group of extremist miscreants along with a procession attacked and vandalized the puja mandapa of Biswas Para in Sadar Union of Pekua Upazila with provocative slogans. After receiving the news, the police reached the spot and chased the attackers. The police fired blank shots to bring the situation under control. At one point, the attackers vandalized several houses in the surrounding Hindu community as they fled. After this incident, extremists took out different processions in different areas of Pekua at night. From these processions, puja mandals and houses of Hindus in different areas including Kachari Mura Shil Para and Magnamar Shil Para of Shilkhali were vandalized and set on fire. According to the District Worship Celebration Council, extremists have vandalized six pavilions, vandalized 30 houses and set fire to one house in Pekua.


Moulvibazar

Shyamal Chandra Das, general secretary of Kamalganj Upazila Puja Celebration Committee, said a group of people attacked the Muidibazar Moidail Puja mandapa between 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm on Wednesday night and vandalized the idol. Besides, arches and electric lights of Basudebpur Puja Mandap, Akhra Puja Mandap of Vrindavanpur Jagannath Jio of Patanushar Union and Bairagir Chowk Public Puja Mandap were vandalized, he said. .Munshibazar Union Parishad members Sunil Malakar and Rezaul Karim Noman said the gates of Rampur Public Puja Mandap and Narayankhet Shabdakar Academy Puja Mandap were also vandalized. Kamalganj Upazila Parishad Vice Chairman Rambhajan Kairi confirmed the vandalism of the idol at Kamarchhara Tea Garden Pujamandap. .Moulvibazar District Puja Celebration Parishad leader Jahar Tarafdar said six temples in Kamalganj and two other religious institutions in Kulaura were attacked. "In Kamalganj, by placing pots in separate places in one of the two broken temples, only the ninth puja of the goddess will be performed. .However, the situation in the district is calm at the moment. " Kamalganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ashekul Haque said, "We are inspecting all the places. The situation is under control. The BGB has been deployed since Thursday morning to provide security to the puja mandapa. At the same time, a large number of police have been deployed to conduct the puja peacefully."


Feni

A clash broke out on 16 October in Feni between the local Hindu community and Muslims when a group of Hindu dwellers of the district was protesting the nationwide attack on Hindu community during the
Durga Puja Durga Puja (ISO 15919, ISO: , ), also known as Durgotsava or Shaaradotsava, is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which pays homage to the Hinduism, Hindu goddess Durga, and is also celebrated because of Durga's victo ...
festival. The clash left around a dozen of people from both communities injured.


Kishoreganj

Idols at a Kali temple in
Karimganj upazila Karimganj, officially Sribhumi, is a town in the Karimganj district of the Indian state of Assam. It is the administrative headquarters of the district. Karimganj town is located at . The area of Karimganj Town is 16.09 km2. It has an a ...
of Kishoreganj District were vandalized on 15 October.


Rangpur

A group of mob set fire to around a dozen Hindu-owned houses in
Rangpur Rangpur may refer to: Places In Bangladesh *Rangpur Division, one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. *Rangpur District, district of Bangladesh in Rangpur Division. *Rangpur, Bangladesh, metropolis and a major city in northern ...
's Pirganj Upazila on 17 October after an alleged post by a local Hindu boy on
Kaaba The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...
went viral. Local
Bangladesh Chhatra League Bangladesh Chhatra League, simply Chhatra League (), is the student wing of the political party, Bangladesh Awami League, founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 4 January 1948. The organisation is banned and listed as a terrorist organisation in B ...
leaders instigated the mob alleging that the post demeaned the holy place vandalized the houses, set fire, and obstructed fire-fighters to douse the fire. It was later revealed that, Saikat Mandal, the vice-president of
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
department Chhatra League at Rangpur's Carmichael College, had a personal conflict with a local Hindu youth Paritosh Sarkar. During the nationwide communal violence, Saikat and his followers in Bangladesh Chhatra League collaborated with the
imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...
of a local mosque to instigate the local Muslim population to conduct the attack on Hindu villages of the area.


Government response

On 17 October,
Bangladesh Police The Bangladesh Police () is the national law enforcement agency of Bangladesh, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs (Bangladesh), Ministry of Home Affairs. It plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, and enforcement of law and order with ...
filed cases against over 4,000 suspects involved in the violence. However, on 30 January 2022, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh stayed judicial inquiry ordered by the High Court of Bangladesh into the communal attacks on the Hindu Community that took place in October 2021 during the Durga Puja Festival. In addition, the High Court bench, led by Judge JBM Hasan, was ordered to dispose of a petition related to attacks on communities in six districts. The appealing body of six judges, led by Judge Hasan Fayez Siddiqui, has passed the order. Subrata Chowdhury, counsel for the writ petitioner, objected to the stay order, saying, "The local administration has failed to protect Hindus and their properties and places of worship from communal attacks during last year's Durga Puja."


Reaction

On 16 October 2021, after
Friday prayers Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...
, a crowd of over 10,000 Muslims from various Mosques in
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
took to streets, carrying banners of Islamist political parties and chanting, "down with the enemies of the Islam" and "hang the culprits". On the same day, nearby nearly 1,000 Hindus also protested against the attacks on temples and the killing of Hindus by Muslim mobs. Minister of Home Affairs
Asaduzzaman Khan Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal (born 31 December 1950) is a Bangladeshi fugitive, at large since 5 August 2024, a member of the Awami League and one of the key perpetrators of the July massacre orchestrated and executed by Sheikh Hasina's toppled regi ...
stated that the incidents were pre-planned: "It appears to us that it was a motivated act instigated by a vested group ... Not only in Comilla, but attempts were also made to destabilize the country previously through communal violence in Ramu and Nasirnagar." Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh
AK Abdul Momen Abul Kalam Abdul Momen (born 23 August 1947), known as AK Abdul Momen, is a Bangladeshi economist, diplomat, and politician who served as Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bangladesh), minister of foreign affairs from January 2019 to January 2024. He ...
issued a clarification regarding the communal violence stating 6 people were killed, 4 were Muslim and 2 Hindus were killed of which one died of natural causes and the other died after jumping in a pond. He claimed "not a single temple was destroyed" during the violence but "
deities A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
or
goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...
es were vandalized". He stated the government was "committed to religious harmony" and advised people not to believe "ongoing propaganda" regarding the attacks from "enthusiastic media" seeking to "embarrass" the government. Dr Momen also stated the government had rebuilt Hindu homes and had provided generous compensation to all those affected by the violence. He also noted that there was a record number of Puja
Mondop The ''mondop'' (, from Pali/Sanskrit ) is a building form in traditional Thai religious architecture featuring a square or cruciform building with a usually pointed roof. In the narrow sense, it refers to an enclosed square building with a roughly ...
s in Bangladesh, partly because of government-funded subsidies.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir (born 26 January 1948) is a Bangladeshi politician. He has been the secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 2016. He was a member of the Jatiya Sangsad, parliament for Thakurgaon-1 constituen ...
, secretary general of
Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (), popularly abbreviated as BNP (), is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. It was founded on 1 September 1978 by President of Bangladesh, President Ziaur Rahman, wit ...
condemned the violence against "Hindu brothers", and alleged a government
conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...
behind the attacks. He called for a non-partisan government to take power before the next elections.
Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council () is a non-profitable organization established to protect the human rights of the religious minorities of Bangladesh. The members and public donations are the source of fund for this charitable o ...
observed a half-day strike in Chattagram in protest of the attacks on Durga Puja venue in Chattagram. The General Secretary of the organization in an interview claimed that a majority of local Awami League leaders were complicit or actively aiding in the violence. He called for the "self-purification" of
Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...
to prevent future attacks on minority community. On 22 October 2021, a demonstration was done in
Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
, Nepal to express solidarity for the victims and demanding punishment to the perpetrators. Prime Minister of India
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
was heavily criticized by regional parties for his silence over the matter. In the neighbouring Indian state of
Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...
, home to a large number of Hindus whose ancestors fled present-day Bangladesh,
communal violence Communal violence is a form of violence that is perpetrated across ethnic or communal lines, where the violent parties feel solidarity for their respective groups and victims are chosen based upon group membership. The term includes conflicts, ri ...
against local Muslims erupted during
Vishwa Hindu Parishad Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) () is an Indian right-wing Hindu organisation based on Hindu nationalism. The VHP was founded in 1964 by M. S. Golwalkar and S. S. Apte in collaboration with Swami Chinmayananda. Its stated objective is "to orga ...
rallies against the Durga Puja violence.


Legacy

Bangladesh lags behind on religious harmony. According to a report from the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote, in 2017 alone, at least 25 Hindu girls and children were raped with 235 temples and idols left vandalized. The total number of atrocities against the Hindu community in the year was 6474. Earlier the same year, anti-Modi protests in Bangladesh quickly turned into anti-Hindu riots with the vandalization of several Hindu temples. With the constant attacks against the Hindu community in Bangladesh, analysts believe that by 2050 "no Hindu will be left in Bangladesh".


See also

*
Persecution of Hindus Hindus have experienced both historical and ongoing religious persecution and systematic violence, in the form of forced conversions, documented massacres, genocides, demolition and desecration of temples, as well as the destruction of ...
*
Anti-Hindu sentiment Anti-Hindu sentiment, sometimes also referred to as Hinduphobia, is a fear of, hostility towards or actions against the practitioners or religion of Hinduism. It exists in many contexts in many countries, often due to historical confl ...
* Freedom of religion in Bangladesh * Human rights and persecution of non-Muslims in Bangladesh


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bangladesh anti-Hindu violence, 2021 2021 in Bangladesh Anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh 2021 riots October 2021 crimes in Asia Religious riots in Bangladesh Mass murder in 2021 Attacks on buildings and structures in 2021 21st-century mass murder in Bangladesh Attacks on Hindu temples in Bangladesh