Dhaka, Bangladesh – June 26, 2025
In a shocking act of destruction and religious insensitivity, Bangladesh Railway, backed by joint forces including the Army, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Police, bulldozed the Khilkhet Sarbajanin Durga Mandir—a sacred Hindu temple located near the railway line in Khilkhet, Dhaka. The demolition occurred without any prior notice to the temple committee, and the idols of Goddess Durga, Kali, and Shiva were crushed under the tracks of bulldozers.
But what transpired in the days leading up to the demolition reveals a far darker story of religious intimidation, state complicity, and utter disregard for minority rights.
Picture (Courtesy HRCBM): Scenes of Devastation — The sacred Khilkhet Durga Mandir reduced to rubble as bulldozers, backed by Bangladesh’s joint forces, razed the temple with idols still inside. Once a site of worship, now a symbol of state-enabled erasure of minority faith.
Mob Threat Preceded State Action
On the night of June 23, 2025, at approximately 9:00 PM, a mob of 200 to 300 Islamist extremists surrounded the Khilkhet Durga Mandir and began attempting to damage the temple structure. According to a formal appeal for protection submitted to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) by Abinash Samajpoti, a representative of the temple, worshippers inside the premises began screaming for help as the mob tried to breach the temple boundary.
The mob then dispersed, but not before threatening:
“We will return and destroy this temple unless it is removed from here.”
Rather than protecting the Hindu minority community from further aggression, the state responded—not with security, but with bulldozers.
Just three days later, on June 26, the joint government forces executed the demolition, razing the temple structure and deities without issuing a single formal notice, and in doing so, enabling the threats of the extremists to be realized by the state itself.
The Dispute: “Non-Permanent Structure” vs. Sacred Site
Following the demolition of the Khilkhet Durga Mandir, Bangladesh Railway officials have claimed that the temple was a non-permanent, unauthorized structure, erected roughly a year ago on railway land. However, even if the structure was relatively recent, this claim does not justify the demolition under either religious norms or procedural law.
In Hindu tradition, once a deity’s idol undergoes প্রাণ প্রতিষ্ঠা (Pran Pratishtha)—a sacred ritual in which divine life-force is invoked into the idol—it ceases to be merely a statue. The idol becomes a living embodiment of the deity, and the space where it is placed becomes a consecrated place of worship, not just a physical structure.
Therefore:
Even if the temple was informal or newly built, once daily worship (puja), offerings, and rituals began, it attained the status of a functioning religious shrine.
Under such circumstances, the site cannot be treated as general encroachment.
Any eviction should have included:
Formal notice
Consultation with the temple committee
A proper religious process for respectfully relocating the deity, typically involving Visarjan (deactivation) or ritual transfer under the guidance of Hindu priests
The demolition—carried out without any notice or opportunity to conduct such rituals—constitutes not only a violation of procedural law, but also a grave act of spiritual violence against the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.
HRCBM is currently conducting an independent investigation to gather further details about the timeline, circumstances, and religious status of the Khilkhet Durga Mandir’s establishment. This section will be updated as verified information becomes available.
Legal Violations and Due Process Breach
This incident is not just immoral—it is illegal under both Bangladeshi and international law.
1. Violation of Due Process (Bangladesh Railway Act & Ordinance 24 of 1970)
While the Railway Estate Office cited Ordinance 24 of 1970 for eviction, the law requires:
Advance notice
Opportunity to respond
Time to remove religious artifacts
None of these were provided to the Khilkhet Durga Mandir committee.
2. Violation of Bangladesh Constitution – Article 41
“Every citizen has the right to profess, practice, or propagate any religion.”
By demolishing the temple without lawful process and failing to protect it from extremist threats, the state violated constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
3. Violation of International Law
Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Bangladesh is a party:
Religious minorities have the right to protection of their places of worship
The state has a duty to prevent targeted religious discrimination
The ICCPR’s Articles 18 and 27 were clearly violated.
Patterns of Persecution
This is not an isolated incident. Since the fall of the Awami League government in 2024:
Over 2,000 attacks on Hindu homes and temples have been reported
HRCBM has documented dozens of incidents involving forced conversions, sexual violence, and mob intimidation
Police are often complicit or passive in the face of Islamist violence
The destruction of the Khilkhet Durga Mandir marks a terrifying evolution—where state forces themselves carry out acts demanded by extremists.
Appeal to the International Community
We call upon:
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
The U.S. State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom
The European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights
The International Criminal Court (ICC)
To urgently:
- Investigate this act as a possible crime under the Rome Statute’s Article 7 (persecution based on religion)
Demand an independent inquiry into the conduct of Bangladesh Railway and joint forces
Issue a statement of condemnation and support for the Hindu community in Bangladesh
Pressure the interim Bangladeshi government to protect all religious minorities and prosecute extremist violence
Final Words
The bulldozing of the Khilkhet Durga Mandir wasn’t just the destruction of a structure—it was an act of symbolic erasure, the crushing of sacred identity under the boot of state machinery. When the state fulfills the threats of mobs, justice dies—quietly, but completely.
Let the world not look away.
