On August 5, following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, news was broadcasted on various Indian TV channels, especially about attacks and vandalism on different temples in Netrokona, particularly the Satpai Ramakrishna Mission and ISKCON temple in the district town. This news also circulated in some local media. We were completely surprised to hear this. They claimed our temple was attacked, but we didn’t know about it; yet Indian TV channels somehow did!
Pramila Sarkar, who was inside the ISKCON temple (Shri Shri Jagannath Ballav Mandir) in Satpai, Netrokona, expressed her disbelief when interviewed yesterday. She said, “My house is right next to this ISKCON temple. I visit the temple regularly. No incidents of attack or vandalism have occurred here. You can see for yourself that everything is normal. However, I was shocked to see the news on Republic Bangla, an Indian TV channel, claiming that our temple was attacked and vandalized. Relatives called me, worried. How did they know about an attack we weren’t even aware of? Such false news has also been spread by some other outlets, which is unacceptable. Hindus and Muslims in this town have lived together harmoniously for generations, and we support each other in times of need.”
Chaitanya Das and Vidur Das, who are responsible for various duties at the temple, said, “There has been no attack or vandalism at our temple. If anyone has reported otherwise, it’s false.”
Mukti Sarkar, a member of the temple’s management committee, was seen cleaning the temple. She confirmed, “No one has attacked the temple. Everything is normal.” Similarly, it was found that no attack or vandalism had occurred at the nearby Sri Ramakrishna Mission. Ujjal Sarkar, the caretaker of the Ramakrishna Mission, said, “There has been no attack or vandalism at the temple. The temple is completely safe. On August 5, someone vandalized the personal chamber of a former student leader opposite the temple’s gate, which may have led some people to mistakenly think our temple was attacked.”
Parimal Chandra Dutta, another member of the temple management committee, said, “We also saw reports in various local and international media claiming that our temple was attacked and vandalized. We were shocked by this. We later protested on Facebook, clarifying that no such attack occurred, so people wouldn’t be misled. It seems that the vandalism of the personal chamber opposite the temple’s gate has been falsely reported as an attack on the temple.” Committee member Ranjan Saha echoed the same sentiment.
Swarnali Bhattacharya, a resident living near the temple, said, “We were astonished to see the news of an attack on our temple. We received phone calls from outside. Our house is next to the temple. I heard that someone vandalized a chamber belonging to Mrinal Kanti Bhattacharya, a former vice-president of the student wing, which was located across the road from the temple gate. What does that have to do with our temple? We don’t know who spread this news. Despite the vandalism of the chamber, no one even glanced at our temple. We have always lived peacefully together, Hindus and Muslims.”
Attempts to contact the president of the district’s Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, Advocate Shitangshu Bikash Acharya, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to multiple calls.
Liton Pandit, the general secretary of the District Puja Celebration Committee, said, “There has been no attack or vandalism at any temple or place of worship in our district. I haven’t heard of any such incidents.”
It should be noted that on August 5, following the fall of the Hasina government, incidents of attacks, vandalism, looting, and arson took place in various parts of the district targeting the political chambers, shops, and homes of influential leaders and activists of the ruling party. On that day, the chambers of former student leaders Apu Sarkar and Mrinal Kanti Bhattacharya on Satpai Mandir Road were vandalized, but no attack occurred at the temple.
