Durga Puja, the largest and most popular Hindu festival across Bangladesh began on Sunday, 28th September 2025. The festival is traditionally observed by setting up temporary shrines (pandals), where clay murthies of Durga and other deities, crafted especially for the festival, are installed. In the run-up to the festival, 9 incidents have been reported in which religious extremists vandalised Durga murthies. From 1st to 26th of September 2025, reports have emerged of incidents in Hamindpur temple (Sadullapur, Gaibandha), Sri Sri Kaksha Kali Temple at Poradaha Village (Mirpur, Kushtia), Kandulia Kalibari (Netrokona Sadar, Netrokona District), Kashimpur Crematorium Temple (Kashimpur, Gazipur), Sarbajaneen Durga Mandir Tariapara village (Sarishabari, Jamalpur), Durgapur village (Ulipur, Kurigram), Kalapota village (Tala, Satkhira), Haritala Sarbajaneen Puja Mandir at Fulhari village (Shailkupa, Jhenaidah) and Noapara village (Raozan, Chittagong).
These incidents evoke traumatic memories of Durga Puja 2021, when islamist mobs attacked over 50 Hindu temples and puja Pandals after a false accusation of blasphemy was leveled against Hindus in Comila district. Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh faced waves of violence following a change in government in August 2024 (2010 separate attacks on minority homes, businesses, and places of worship were reported by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported between 4th to 20th August). Hindus in Bangladesh have long been the targets of systematic violence. During Bangladesh’s freedom struggle in 1970-71. The Bangladesh government estimated that up to 2.4 million of the 3 million Bangladeshis killed in a genocide by Pakistan’s Army were Hindus.
(image: 02.09.05, arson attack at Hamindpur temple)