Durga Idol Vandalized and Defiled in Shailkupa; Suspect Claims to Be Mentally Disabled

Special Representative

Six idols of a Durga temple were vandalized and defecation took place inside the temple in Fulhari village of Shailkupa upazila of Jhenaidah. Police have arrested a person named Manjer Ali (50) after analyzing CCTV footage in the incident.

The detained person is being promoted as mentally disabled.

According to local sources, the incident took place at the Haritala Sarvajanin Puja Temple in Fulhari village of the upazila in the early hours of Tuesday, September 23.

The footage shows him entering the temple, breaking off the heads of the idols one by one and submerging some parts in water. He is also seen defecating in the temple.

This incident has caused extreme panic among the Hindu community in the area. The joy of Durga Puja is being tarnished to a great extent.

Temple committee president Bikash Kumar Biswas said, “There were guards until 4 am. After that, Manjer Ali entered the temple and broke the heads of 6 idols. He broke the heads of 6 idols including Asura, Kartik, and Swarasati. We arrived at 9 am and found that the idols had been vandalized.”

Tapas Biswas, general secretary of the committee, said, “Whenever the Manj Puja is held, people come to our temple. They eat and drink here. Now I am calling on the law enforcement agencies to investigate the reason for this vandalism.”

Some locals claim that the detained Manjer Ali is mentally disabled.

Shailkupa Police Station OC Masum Khan said that the accused has been arrested based on CCTV footage. The investigation into the incident is underway, and further legal action will be taken after the investigation.

Meanwhile, after investigation, it was found that most of the puja mandap in the upazila are unsafe and unprotected.

After the incident, Khulna Range DIG Rezaul Islam, Jhenaidah Police Superintendent Mohammad Manjur Morshed, and Additional District Magistrate ABM Khalid Siddiqui visited the scene.