Durga Temple in Dhaka Demolished, India Slams Bangladesh

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): India has reacted sharply to the demolition of Durga Temple in Dhaka and the treatment meted out to minorities in Bangladesh. Bangladesh officials have justified the move and called it an illegally constructed 'temporary structure'. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have come to know that extremists were demanding the demolition of Durga Temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka. Instead of providing security to the temple, the interim government presented the incident as a case of illegal land use and allowed the temple to be demolished today."

Jaiswal said, “This has caused damage to the statue. We are disappointed that such incidents are happening repeatedly in Bangladesh. I want to emphasize that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus, their properties and their religious institutions.” India has repeatedly expressed concern about the targeting of minorities in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised the issue with Yunus during the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok. Prime Minister Modi had also underlined India's concerns related to the safety of minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh and expressed hope that the Bangladesh government would ensure their safety, including a thorough investigation into cases of atrocities committed against them, the MEA spokesperson said. The temple was demolished within days of extremists demanding its demolition. The temple was demolished within three days of a mob demanding the removal of the temple.

The demolition was carried out by Bangladesh Railway officials with the assistance of police and military personnel, and visuals from the demolition site showed bulldozers demolishing the structure while the idol of Durga Maa was still inside the structure. The officials can be seen ignoring appeals from devotees to leave the temple. Bangladesh Railway officials say the Khilkhet Sarbojanin Sri Sri Durga temple was demolished because it was built illegally on railway land.

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