Police dispute puja committees’ claims, say most incidents stemmed from internal disputes, theft

Police have said most of the 34 incidents of attacks, idol vandalism and temple theft reported ahead of Durga Puja this year stemmed from internal disputes, theft and other local conflicts, rather than deliberate attempts to undermine communal harmony or target religious minorities.

In a post on the Bangladesh Police Facebook page on Monday, police said a review of the incidents and field-level verification found that most involved disputes over leadership within temple committees, theft of valuables, disagreements over government funding and vandalism by individuals described as mentally unstable.

Earlier, on Thursday, the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and the Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee said 34 puja mandaps in different parts of the country had come under attack and idols had been vandalised ahead of Durga Puja.

Police said claims that the incidents had been deliberately orchestrated to disrupt communal harmony, persecute minorities or prevent the peaceful celebration of Durga Puja were not substantiated in the cases reviewed.

The police statement detailed six incidents in Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Pabna, Thakurgaon and Tangail that had been publicised as attempts to undermine religious harmony, but whose alleged communal motives were not substantiated, it said.

In Narayanganj, the right hand of a demon figure in a Durga Puja idol was slightly damaged while it was being unloaded from a vehicle and carried to a temporary mandap in Araihazar on October 16. The mandap's president and general secretary confirmed the damage, which local accounts attributed to an accident.

In Mymensingh, a dispute between two neighbouring families over the picking of betel nuts escalated into stone-throwing on October 5. A 58-year-old woman was injured, and part of a Ganesh idol kept outside a puja mandap for painting was damaged. Temple committee officials said the incident stemmed from a longstanding dispute between the families.

In Pabna, a woman tore down the canopy of a Durga Puja mandap at Radhanagar Sarbojanin Durga Temple on October 15. Police took her into custody after the temple committee reported the incident. Local residents said she had been staying in the area for four to five days, while temple officials described her as mentally unstable.

Two incidents in Thakurgaon involved disputes within the Hindu community. On October 1, a group of 70 to 80 people entered the Shri Shri Rasik Roy Jiu ISKCON Temple in Bhatgaon, assaulted several ISKCON members, damaged property and replaced the organisation's idols with their own, according to the statement. Clashes broke out later when 100 to 120 ISKCON members arrived at the scene.

In another incident, supporters of two neighbouring Krishna and Kali temples clashed on October 2 over Tk 100,000 in government funding. The presidents of the two temples had separately applied to the Thakurgaon District Council for financial assistance, and both sides claimed the allocation was intended for their respective institutions.

In Tangail, a dispute over whether to install idols inside or outside Purnachandra Nat Mandir led to clashes between supporters of the temple committee's president and general secretary on October 4. Police intervened to restore order. The parties later reached an understanding through the mediation of the local member of parliament and pledged to ensure peaceful celebrations, according to the statement.

Police said they had responded promptly to incidents involving attacks, idol vandalism and temple theft, taken legal action, arrested suspects in most cases, recovered stolen property and helped resolve disputes between rival groups.

Durga Puja was being celebrated peacefully at more than 33,000 mandaps across the country, the statement added.