7 under-construction Durga idols vandalised at Mirzapur temple

Seven under-construction Durga idols have been vandalised at a Durga temple in Mirzapur, Tangail. The incident took place in the Jamurki Paschimpara area of Jamurki union in the upazila on Wednesday night, September 30.

Locals said Durga Puja has been held at the temple for nearly 85 years on the initiative of the Jamurki Arya Samiti. This year too, a total of seven idols, including the Durga idol, were being made on the temple premises as part of preparations for the puja. Almost all construction work on the idols had been completed except for painting.

There are allegations that unknown individuals entered the temple on Wednesday night and vandalised the under-construction idols. When the matter came to the attention of locals on Thursday morning, it caused a stir in the area. At the same time, anger and concern were seen among the local Hindu community.

Upon receiving news of the incident, Tangail Superintendent of Police Shamsul Alam Sarkar and Assistant Superintendent of Police of Mirzapur-Nagarpur Circle Md Adnan Mustafiz visited the scene. At that time, they spoke with temple authorities and locals and assured that those involved in the incident would be identified and brought under the law.

President of Jamurki Arya Samiti, Prakash Bakali, said preparations are underway to file a complaint with law enforcement agencies over the idol vandalism.

Assistant Superintendent of Police of Mirzapur-Nagarpur Circle Md Adnan Mustafiz said the scene was inspected after receiving the news. He said the organisers were assured about the temple's security after speaking with them.

Inspector of Mirzapur Police Station Lukman Hossain said efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved in the idol vandalism. At the same time, necessary measures have been taken for the temple's security.