Who desecrated idols in Thakurgaon?

We are deeply alarmed by the news of unidentified criminals desecrating idols of Hindu gods and goddesses in Thakurgaon's Baliadangi upazila earlier this week. According to a report by this daily, at least 14 idols of Saraswati, Laxmi, and Manasha were vandalised at 12 temples in the area. From what we know so far, whoever carried out the attack did so quietly, under the cover of darkness, as locals came to know about it only when they went to offer prayers at the temples next morning. And even though the culprits have not been identified by police yet, from the nature of the attacks, it can be said that those were no isolated incidents. Those were rather coordinated. 

While we condemn these acts in the strongest terms, we would also want to know what might have triggered the criminals to vandalise the idols. Did they want to create an atmosphere of fear among the Hindu community of Thakurgaon? Or did the criminals simply hold the misguided notion that by desecrating sacred symbols of other religions, they are actually showing love for their own? Whatever might have been their twisted reason, we must send them a strong and clear message that every person in the country has the right to practice their own religion, and that this right is guaranteed by our constitution. We must also remind them that desecrating others' religions totally goes against the ideals of our Liberation War as well as our long-held social values.

Having said that, we also need to find out why such incidents keep recurring in the country, despite assurances by the government that religious intolerance or violence would not be tolerated. If we look at some of the past incidents of religious violence, we will see that in most cases, those involved were never brought to justice. The failure to take action is emboldening others to commit similar crimes. We need a strong, powerful and uncompromising collective social voice against the growing religious tension and intolerance in the country. While the government must play its part by holding the criminals accountable, our religious leaders must also play their due role. They must tell adherents that religious intolerance is totally unacceptable in a pluralistic society that we aspire to be. They must send out a strong message of interfaith harmony.

As for the Thakurgaon incident, we urge the local administration to identify the culprits responsible for the desecration of idols and take legal action against them and also, equally importantly, extend protection to the local Hindu community. The authorities must create a safe environment for all minority communities by creating a society tolerant of diversity. To do that, it is vital that orchestrators of all previous communal attacks are also brought to book. Only by showing zero tolerance can we prevent repetition of such incidents.