India slams Yunus govt in Bangladesh over demolition of Durga temple, says extremists were clamouring to destroy it

New Delhi: India on Thursday strongly condemned the demolition of the Durga Mandir (temple) in Dhaka, criticising the role of Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in allowing the destruction and projecting it as a case of illegal land use.

“We understand that extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka. The interim government, instead of providing security to the temple, projected the episode as a case of illegal land use and allowed the destruction of the temple today,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.

“This has resulted in damage to the deity before it was shifted. We are dismayed that such incidents continue to recur in Bangladesh. Let me underline that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus, their properties, and their religious institutions,” he stated.

Earlier this week, the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) had highlighted another such incident, terming the vandalization of a Mahastri Manasa and Durga Temple in Dinajpur district by miscreants as a horrifying act of terrorising the Hindu minority community in the country.

“The assailants vandalised the temple, smashed idols, and severed the head of the Goddess Manasa’s idol — an act of deep sacrilege designed to humiliate the minority community and instill fear. As the attackers fled, they threatened local Hindus with further violence, vowing to kill community members at the next opportunity,” read a statement issued by the HRCBM.

“The institutionalised fear prevalent among Bangladesh’s Hindu community — fueled by years of targetted violence, social marginalization, and systemic failures was painfully evident in this case,” it added.

India has taken a tough line on the rights of the Hindu minority and repeatedly stated that there is “systematic persecution of Hindu minorities” under the Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh.

Responding to another question about China, Pakistan and Bangladesh holding their first trilateral meeting in Kunming recently, the MEA spokesperson said that New Delhi continues to keep a close watch on the developments in the neighbourhood that affect the interests and security of the nation.

“We maintain a constant watch on developments in our neighbourhood that have a bearing on our interests and security. Our relations with individual countries, while standing on their own footing, also take into account the evolving context as well,” he mentioned.

The first trilateral meeting was held in China’s southern Yunnan province on June 19 where all three countries vowed their commitment to a “shared” future.

During the meeting, the three sides also agreed to enhance their cooperation for enhancing regional connectivity and deepening cooperation in the diverse fields of bilateral cooperation, including trade and investment, agriculture, digital economy, environmental protection and marine sciences, green infrastructure, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

Bangladesh’s growing outreach to China and Pakistan under the interim administration of Yunus remains quite noticeable since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024.

For decades, Dhaka-Islamabad relations remained frigid and hostile. However, with Yunus at the helm, a silver lining is clearly noticeable in the case of Bangladesh-Pakistan relationship.

Analysts believe that Pakistan is leveraging the situation by positioning its non-state actors in Bangladesh, making them mingle with Rohingya refugees and working in conjunction with the radical-Islamist coterie promoting anti-India activities.

IANS