Idol destroyed at colonial-era Hindu temple in Bangladesh

Unidentified persons destroyed the idol of a deity at a colonial-era Hindu temple in western Bangladesh, prompting police to launch a massive manhunt, officials said on Friday.

Authorities of the Kali temple in Dautiya village in Bangladesh’s Jhenaidah district found the idol smashed into pieces on Friday and dumped the idol’s head on a road half a kilometre away from the temple’s premises, news portal bdnews24.com quoted Sukumar Kunda, president of the temple committee as saying.

The Kali temple was a place of worship for the Hindus since the colonial era, Kunda said.

The incident comes to the fore a little more than 24 hours after the 10-day annual Durga Puja festivities in Bangladesh came to an end with the immersion of idols on the auspicious ‘Vijayadashami’ at various river ghats across the country.

“The incident took place at night at the temple in Jhenaidah,” general secretary of Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council Chandanath Poddar told PTI.

Poddar, a mathematics professor of premier Dhaka University, however called it an “isolated” but unfortunate incident since the ten-day festival was held across the country without any disruption.

“A case has been lodged and an investigation and manhunts for the suspects are underway,” Jhenaidah police assistant superintendent Amit Kumar Burman said.

Barring this incident, Durga Puja festivities were celebrated peacefully across Bangladesh this year.

This was a far cry compared to last year, when at least six people were killed and hundreds injured in communal violence and clashes that broke out during the Durga Puja celebrations in the country.

Hindus constitute around 10 per cent of the Muslim-majority Bangladesh's 169 million population.