Kali Temple at Pirojpur crematorium vandalized, valuables stolen and set ablaze

The Kali temple of Pirojpur municipal crematorium was vandalized, valuables stolen and set on fire. The incident occurred on Sunday night. Local residents saw the incident and reported it to the police on Monday morning.

Sunil Chakraborty, president of the municipal crematorium committee, said he rushed to the site after being informed of the incident this morning. The idol of Lord Shiva beside the Kali temple had been vandalized, and parts of the idol were taken outside and set on fire.

He said the two locks on the main gate of the crematorium had also been broken. The temple’s donation box, along with brass, bronze, and copper items used in funeral rites, were found missing. Various worship materials were also damaged or stolen, causing losses estimated at more than Tk 100,000.

Sunil Chakraborty also said, 'Theft is one thing; but vandalizing an idol - what kind of thing is this! A group of miscreants are trying to hurt our religious sentiments through this.’

Upon receiving the news of the incident, Superintendent of Police Mohammad Manjur Ahmed Siddiqui and Pirojpur Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Shariful Islam visited the scene and observed various evidence.

OC Shariful Islam said, ‘Initially, we are investigating two issues. One is the theft, the other is whether someone did such an act with the intention of sabotage – that is also being investigated. The police have started investigating the incident and are working to identify the people involved.’