of Hindu Temples in Bangladesh (1989)
forces went over a rampage all over Bangladesh starting in October 29,
1989. Their excuse was conducting of the Ayodhya shilanyas ceremony
in India. Simply on this premise, Islamic fundamentalists attacked and
burnt down Hindu homes and business establishments in many places, murdered
some Hindus and inflicted injuries on many others. Hindu temples and
monasteries invited their special attention. The mob fury reached its
climax on November 9 and 10, 1989. Many temples were demolished or burnt
down or damaged in various ways. Images of deities were broken and thrown
out. Temple priests were beaten up. The Government of Bangladesh ignored
these attacks for two weeks. Then it called off the attacks. It also
ordered repairs to a dozen temples in a token attempt to show the international
community its “secular credentials.” We reproduce below
an English translation of the original listing published in Bengali
by the Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Unity Council, 53, Tejturi Bazar,
Dhaka, Bangladesh is provided below. Please note that it is a partial
( 1 ) On November 11, 1989: The 400-year old historic Kali Temple at
Chinishpur was looted and set on fire.
( 2 ) On the same day the Shiva Temple of Brahmandi was looted and set
( 3 ) On the same day the Kali Temple of Bhelanagar was looted and set
( 4 ) In the market place of Bhelanagar near Narsingdi town a good number
of shops were broken in and looted and some houses were set on fire
on the same day.
( 5 ) In the town of Narsingdi, the Bhagbat Ashram was attacked on the
( 6 ) The Kali Temple of Narsingdi town was attacked with arms on the
( 7 ) On the 8th of November 1989, the Milan Kali Temple of Srirampur
Bazar in the Raipur Upajila was attacked and the image of the deity
( 8 ) On the same day at the village of Hashimpur under Raipur Upajila
many houses were attacked, looted, and set on fire.
( 9 ) On November 10 and 11, 1989, in the town of Tangail several temples
were attacked and set on fire, and many shops were looted.
( 10 ) In the village of Bajitpur near Tangail many houses belonging
to the religious minorities were attacked, looted, and set on fire,
and the temples and the images of the deities were broken up.
( 11 ) The temple in the village of Pakrail under Delduar Upajila was
attacked, and acts of breaking up and setting on fire were carried out.
( 12 ) In several other villages under Delduar Union the temples were
set on fire.
( 13 ) One temple in the village of Pakutia in Tangail was attacked,
set on fire and destroyed.
( 14 ) House to house attacks were made on the traditional makers of
handloom sarees belonging to the members of religious minorities in
the village of Bajitpur, and their handlooms were destroyed.
( 15 ) In the village of Akua in Tangail a temple was destroyed and
its foundations removed.
( 16 ) A similar incident took place in the village of Kalihat.
( 17 ) Mr. Dinesh Ch. Basak, deputy chief medical officer of the Meghna
Textile Mills, under Bangladesh Textile Industry Corporation, died on
November 10 in Tongi. The Mill authorities sent his body to Tangail
for cremation, and there a group of miscreants attacked the car carrying
the dead body. They also obstructed carrying out of the cremation.
( 18 ) On November 10, 1989, in the District of Moulavi Bazar, at Srimangal
Upajila several temples including Ramakrishna Mission, Mangaleswari
Kali-Bari, Durga Bari, jagannath-Dev's Akhra, and Kalachand Mandir were
attacked, broken in, and set on fire. At present no temple exists at
( 19 ) On November 10, 1989, the Ramakrishna Mission in the city of
Moulavi Bazar was attacked and burnt down.
( 20 ) On the same day several Hindu houses and shops in the Srimangal
Upajila were attacked, structurally damaged and looted. This happened
in front of the officers responsiblele for law and order.
( 21 ) On November 10, 1989, several temples in the city of Naogaon
were attacked and structurally damaged.
( 22 ) Fear and panic spread in the Hindu villages near the city of
Naogaon and many villagers went into hiding for fear of life or prosecution.
( 23 ) On November 11, 1989, at dusk, attackers as a large group emerged
from a mosque at Chanyaikona in Upajila Raigarh with agitating slogans,
and they attacked many nearby shops and residential places.
( 24 ) On November 10, 1989, Friday at 4 pm in the city of Rangpur a
huge group in a procession shouting slogans with excitement went on
attacking places of worship belonging to the minority communities.
( 25 ) On the same day, the famous Rangpur Dharma Shava building at
the Station Road was attacked and severely damaged.
( 26 ) The main Kali Temple in Rangpur known as Sri Sri Karunamoyee
Kali-Bari was attacked.
( 27 ) Sri Sri Anandamoyee Ashram at College Road was attacked and massively
( 28 ) The Kali Mandir at Bara Bazar in the city of Netrokona was attacked,
looted, structurally damaged and set on fire.
( 29 ) In Magura Sadar Upajila, Bagia Union, at Bagia Thakur bari at
the performance of Puja in the jagadhatri Temple on November 6, 1989,
armed attacks were made, Ranjit Roy and jagadish Roy were killed, and
the image of the deity was broken up and thrown away. The seriously
wounded Samar Roy had to be transferred to the Hospital for Disabled
( 30 ) On November 15, in the city of Barishal, the temple of Chandan
Nagar Para was attacked, broken up and set on fire.
( 31 ) On November 2, in the village of Dhamura in Uzirpur Upajila,
a Kali Temple was attacked by an armed group led by Haji Mobasharuddin
at 8 pm, the image of the deity was broken up and thrown away, and the
temple was set on fire.
( 32 ) On November 17, the Hindu Hostel under B.M. College was attacked
and students were indiscriminately beaten up and forced out of the Hostel.
( 33 ) On November 13, at the Sadar Betagi Upajila, temples were broken
in and shops belonging to Hindu community were looted. in Agoyeeljhara,
the Kali Mandir was destroyed and the image of the deity disappeared.
( 34 ) On November 10, in the city of Chittagong, procession took place
shouting communal slogans.
( 35 ) In Raujan Upajila at the jagatpur Ashram, attacks were made.
( 36 ) At the historic Kaibalyadham Ashram in Chittagong, attacks were
( 37 ) At the village of Sadhanpur and Lankarchar in Patia Upajila some
25 temples were attacked and set on fire and the images of the deities
in these temples were broken. Many houses and shops belonging to the
members of minority communities were attacked and looted.
( 38 ) In the villages of Uttar Satta and Fate Nagar in Raujan Upajila,
and in Nanupur, Badtapur, S. Rosong Giri and Ajadi Bazar under Fatikchar
Upajila, several temples were attacked.
( 39 ) On October 29 and 31, in the village of Unainagar, Patia Upajila,
on the Chittagong-Kox's Bazar Highway, a bus was stopped and the Buddhist
and Hindu passengers were beaten up. In many Buddhist temples the statues
of Buddha were broken up.
( 40 ) Under Raujan Upajila in the village of Gujra on October 29 and
November 9, the Jalakumari House, RadhaGobinda Ashram and other temples
were attacked and set on fire repeatedly.
( 41 ) The Kali Temple of Bashkhali Upajila was attacked.
( 42 ) On November 10, in the region called Patenga Kathghar many Hindu
families abandoned their homes for fear of communal persecution. In
the city of Sandwip the images of the deities in the Jagannath-Bari,
KaliBari, and Char-Ani Shidheswari Kali-Bari were broken up and scattered.
( 43 ) Many temples in the various Upajilas of Kox's Bazar were attacked.
( 44 ) In the city of Hatia several temples were attacked. In Bazar
under Begumganj Upajila the Hari Mandir was destroyed.
( 45 ) The temple at Basakpara in the city of Jamalpur was destroyed.
( 46 ) On November 10, at the Purana. Bazar area in the city of Chandpur
many shops and businesses and many temples in the suburb of Chandpur
were attacked. The temple of Raja Lakshmi-Narayan in Habiganj has been
( 47 ) In Saidpur area many temples have been attacked and severely
( 48 ) On November 9, in the city of Jhalakati almost all temples and
the houses and shops belonging to the members of the minority communities
( 49 ) The quarters and a temple belonging to the famous folk poet (Charan
Kabi) Mukunda Das was attacked and broken up.
( 50 ) On November 10, the Ramakrishna Mission and several shops belonging
to the members of minority communities were attacked.
( 51 ) Several temples in Dhamrai and Savar were attacked. On November
10, at night, the Dhaka Ramakrishna Mission was attacked. In Demra an
ancient cremation structure has been destroyed. In Lalbag police station
in Nagar-Bel-Tali Rishi-Para several shops and businesses were attacked,
looted and structurally damaged.
( 52 ) On November 14, 1989, in the Union of Charbadarn, Char Alexander,
Char Algi and Hajarihat under Raingati Upajila, some 36 houses, shops
and businesses belonging to the minority communities were attacked,
looted and set on fire, and women were raped and rendered destitute.
Besides these, some 11 temples were attacked and destroyed by fire including
the temple of Rama-Thakur and Ashrarm of Burakarta.
( 53 ) The historic Akhra of Mahaprabhu in Chhatak was attacked, the
statue of the Mahaprabhu was broken, and damages were done to the Akhra.
( 54 ) On November 17, 1989, in the city of Khulna, Dharma Shava Temple,
Koylaghat Kalibari, Barabazar Kalibari, and many other temples were
attacked and set on fire. At the corner of Barabazar and Picture Palace
all shops and businesses belonging to the Hindu community were looted.
in the localities inhabited by many Hindus including Tutpara, Baniakhamar
and Banargati, armed attacks were made and acts of looting, breaking-in
and setting-on-fire were carried out.
( 55 ) On November 17, 1989, the entire temple complex at the Ramakrishna
Mission in Bagerhat including Hari Mandir was attacked and structures
and the statue of Ramakrishna were broken up. Besides these attacks,
acts of destruction were carried out on Fatehpur Kalibari, Bemta Kali
Temple, Giletala Hari and Kali temples, Karapara Kali Temple, and Patarpara
Kali Temple, and a famous black-stone Siva-Linga was looted.
( 56 ) Hindu houses in the vicinity of the Zamidar-Bari of Muktagachha
were attacked with arms and looted, and acts of breaking-up were carried
( 57 ) On November 9, in the Union of Radhanagar, and on November 14
in the Union of Dhalia, under Chhagal Naiya Upajila, temples were attacked
and acts of breaking up were carried out.
( 58 ) In the village of Char Sonapur under Sonagachhi Upajila, a temple
was attacked and acts of breaking-up carried out on Novemnber 12. In
the villages of Desherhat and Semerkhil several temple statutes were
( 59 ) The image of Goddess Kali in the village of Hirapur in Daganbhuia
Upajila was broken up.
( 60 ) In the village of Daulatpur under Feni Police Station the image
of Goddess Kali was broken up.
( 61 ) The image of Goddess Kali in the temple of Dakshineswari at Shubhapur
Bazar in Chhagal Naiya, was broken up and the place was looted an set
( 62 ) On November 17, in the city of Bhola, several shops belonging
to the religious minorities were attacked and money was collected through
threats of violence.
( 63 ) On November 11, at Muradpuri under Sadar Upajila, a temple was
destroyed. In the village of Ramaganj a similar incident happened.
( 64 ) On November 11, at the festival of Rama-Thakur in the city of
Comilla, attacks were made using stones and bricks and several people
( 65 ) On November 12, a Kali Temple in the village of Gahinkhali under
Barmbara Upajila was set on fire. Under Muradnagar Upajila at Ramachandrapur
Bazar, a temple was totally destroyed.
( 66 ) In the village of Shyamgram and Srigrarn under Nabinagar Upajila
several temples were attacked.
( 67 ) On November 11, the HariTemple of Puranabazar in the city of
Madaripur was broken up and a procession against the religious minorities
was taken out.
( 68 ) The Dhamusa's Ashram of Kalkini was broken up.
( 69 ) The Kali Temple at Baligaon was broken up.
( 70 ) In Saduria Upajila at Saduria itself and in the village of Buriara
temples were attacked and acts of breaking-up were committed.
( 71 ) Temples and shops and businesses in the city of Pabna were attacked
( 72 ) Several temples in the district of Habiganj were attacked.