The interim regime of Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, is facing widespread criticism and condemnation following the demolition of a Hindu Durga Mandap in Dhaka’s Khilgaon area. The regime, instead of expressing remorse or committing to religious tolerance, has blatantly justified the destruction through an official press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, raising serious concerns about the shrinking space for religious freedom and minority rights under the current dispensation.
The incident, which took place on June 26, saw the forcible removal of a makeshift Durga Mandap, followed by the immersion of the idol in the Balu River, a move the government claims was conducted with “due reverence.”
However, minority rights activists and members of the Hindu community have rejected this narrative, calling it a state-sponsored act of religious aggression.
Labels Worship Structure “Illegal”
The government’s statement accuses the local Hindu community of violating an “agreement” with the Bangladesh Railways by allegedly refusing to dismantle the temporary Mandap after Durga Puja in October 2024. The Hindu organisers, the statement claims, not only retained the structure but later installed a Kali idol, which the government frames as a provocation or escalation.
The press note goes on to defend the demolition as a “peaceful eviction” under a broader land-clearing operation linked to railway expansion under the “Construction of 3rd & 4th DG Line” project. While it lists the removal of shops, party offices, and vendors alongside the temple, critics argue that religious structures, especially those representing a persecuted minority, deserve greater sensitivity than stalls or encroachments.
Rights organisations and Hindu groups in Bangladesh and abroad have decried the official explanation as “gaslighting” and an attempt to whitewash institutional bigotry. The narrative that the idol was immersed “with the participation of local Hindus” is being contested by eyewitnesses and community leaders, who allege police intimidation and suppression of protest during the operation.
“This is not an eviction. This is a clear message to the Hindu community: Your faith, your festivals, your temples are not welcome here anymore,” said Biren Das, a rights activist based in Dhaka. “The Durga Mandap was used to criminalise the very presence of Hindus on public land, while numerous illegal mosques, madrassas, and party offices stand untouched.”
Reign of Fear Under Yunus’s Unelected Rule
Since coming to power under dubious and violent circumstances, the Muhammad Yunus-led caretaker government has drawn severe international scrutiny for its rapid erosion of democratic norms, media freedom, and minority protection. Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian communities have reported a sharp uptick in forced evictions, vandalism of temples, denial of police protection, and intimidation by local authorities.
The Khilgaon demolition is just the latest in a series of targeted actions that seem to be designed to systematically erase the religious and cultural footprint of Bangladesh’s dwindling Hindu minority, now less than 8 per cent of the population.
Ironically, the government’s press release proclaims that Bangladesh remains committed to an “inclusive society where every citizen lives freely irrespective of one’s faith.” Yet the very act it defends, destroying a Hindu place of worship and threatening a festival site, flies in the face of that claim.
International Silence and the Role of India
So far, New Delhi has maintained a silence, despite growing pressure from Hindu organisations within India to condemn the incident diplomatically.
While the Bangladesh government continues to frame the issue as a “land dispute,” it is part of a broader pattern of religious cleansing through bureaucratic and administrative tools. From branding worship spaces illegal to forcing immersions under duress, the interim regime is increasingly weaponising governance against minorities.
The world must not be misled by carefully worded official statements that mask state-enabled persecution.
The Yunus regime must be held accountable for failing to uphold basic human rights, religious freedom, and the constitutional guarantee of equality to all faiths.
