Systematic pattern in attack on Hindus, Delhi tells Dhaka

India on Saturday called upon the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety and security of Hindus, all other minorities and their places of worship, the appeal coming after a crude bomb was hurled at a Durga Puja pandal and a theft reported at a revered Goddess Kali temple in the neighbouring nation.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the incidents as “deplorable events”. “We have noted with serious concern the attack on a Durga Puja mandap in Tantibazar, Dhaka, and the theft of a gold-plated crown at the revered Jeshoreshwari Kali temple at Satkhira. The incidents, which have been witnessed over several days now, follow a systematic pattern of desecration and damage to temples and deities,” the MEA said in a statement.

The crown, which was gifted to the temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021, was stolen on Thursday. On Friday night, miscreants threw a petrol bomb at a Durga Puja pandal in Old Dhaka, leading to a stampede-like situation. Though the bomb caught fire, nobody was injured. The assailants fled the scene even as fear gripped the minority community.

Hindus had earlier complained about Islamic songs being played during the Durga Puja celebrations in Chittagong. From October 1 till Friday, 35 untoward incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations have been reported from various parts of Bangladesh. Seventeen 17 persons had been arrested and about a dozen cases registered, Inspector General of Police Md Moinul Islam was quoted as saying by a media house.

The five-day Hindu festival began with an invocation of Goddess Durga, an occasion called Maha Shasthi, on Wednesday. The celebrations will conclude with the immersion of Goddess Durga idols on Sunday. The minority Hindu population — comprising only about 8 per cent of the 170 million Bangladesh population — has faced regular vandalism of their businesses and properties and destruction of temples after the student-led violence erupted, resulting in the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5.

The Bangladesh government is headed by Muhammad Yunus, who took charge on August 8. Yunus on Saturday visited the centuries-old Dhakeshwari temple in Dhaka and vowed to “rebuild Bangladesh in a way where each and every citizen’s rights were protected”.

The Indian High Commission in Bangladesh had on Friday expressed “deep concern” over the attacks on Hindus and the theft of the crown at the temple. It also took up the matter with the authorities in Dhaka. “We have seen reports of theft of the crown gifted by PM Modi to Jeshoreshwari Kali temple. We express deep concern and urge the government of Bangladesh to investigate the theft, recover the crown and take action against the perpetrators,” the High Commission had said in a post on X.