An ISKCON temple in Meherpur in Bangladesh’s Khulna division was vandalised and set on fire as unrest continues in the country following the resignation and departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The attack on the ISKCON temple is part of a wider wave of violence that has targeted several Hindu temples in Bangladesh over the past 24 hours.
ISKCON spokesperson Yudhishthir Govinda Das confirmed the incident and said, “According to the information I received, one of our ISKCON centres (rented) in Meharpur was burnt down including the idols of Lord Jagannath, Baldev and Subhadra Devi. Three devotees living in the centre somehow managed to escape and survived.”
The situation for religious minorities in Bangladesh has worsened since Hasina’s ouster from power, and Hindu temples are being attacked amid ongoing unrest.
Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council leader Kajol Debnath told news agency PTI that at least four Hindu temples were targeted and suffered minor damage on Monday.
Apart from the attack on the temple, an Indian cultural centre in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area was also vandalised by the rioters. The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, which promotes cultural exchange between India and Bangladesh, was also damaged in the violence.
Protesters in Dhaka set fire to several prominent places, including the Bangabandhu Bhaban, the personal residence of Bangladesh’s founding father and former president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is also the father of Sheikh Hasina.
The anti-government protests, which began with demands for the abolition of the quota system for civil service jobs, turned into demands for Sheikh Hasina to step down after hundreds of people were killed in violent clashes between protesters and supporters of her Awami League party.
Under pressure from massive protests, Sheikh Hasina quietly resigned and fled the country on Monday. Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman announced that an interim government would be formed and called on protesters to stop the violence.
With PTI inputs