Durga Temple Demolition In Bangladesh Triggers Widespread Protests, India Asks Yunus-Led Regime To Protect Hindu Sites—All You Need To Know

The demolition of an alleged makeshift Durga temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka, on Thursday (26 June), just a day before Rath Yatra, has triggered nationwide protests and a shutdown across Bangladesh, Bhaskar English reported.

Demonstrators gathered in cities and university campuses, including Dhaka’s Shahbag area, condemning the government’s action.

The Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council and the Hindu Federation jointly called for the shutdown.

At a protest in Dhaka, Advocate Gobind Chandra Pramanik, former president of the Hindu Alliance, said, “The area has mosques, madrasas, and several illegal structures. Yet the temple and its idols were declared illegal and destroyed. This shows that extremists have infiltrated every level of this government.”

The temple was razed by Bangladesh Railway officials who claimed it stood illegally on railway land.

Hindu organisations, however, said the demolition occurred without prior notice.

The temple committee alleged the incident followed a violent mob attack on Tuesday (24 June), when over 500 people assaulted the site with sticks and rods while devotees were present.

“Only the temple was demolished; other nearby structures were left untouched,” said Arjun Roy, secretary of the committee.

He also noted that permission had been granted last year by railway officials to conduct Durga Puja and rituals.

Railway Ministry advisor Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan stated that around 100 illegal structures were cleared, including the temple, and the idol was respectfully immersed in the Balu river.

But eyewitnesses reportedly claimed a bulldozer ran over the temple with the idol still inside, and that immersion had not taken place by Thursday night.

India strongly condemned the incident.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday (26 June) said, “Instead of safeguarding the temple, the interim government demolished it, calling it an ‘illegal structure’. The idol was damaged even before it could be properly removed.”

He added that India is “seriously disappointed” over continued attacks on Hindu sites in Bangladesh.

In a statement, the Bangladesh government on Friday (27 June) said, “The organisers of the makeshift Mandap clearly exploited the trust and goodwill of the Railway authorities by violating their own agreement. Bangladesh remains firmly committed to safeguarding the rights of all communities, including protection of the places of worship.”

The Bangladesh government also claimed that they sent notifications to hundreds of shops and political party offices illegally built on either side of the rail tracks owned by Bangladesh Railway in the area prior to taking action.

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