Old images of idol vandalism in Bangladesh resurface on social media

Several pictures of idol vandalism in Harirampur, Manikganj, are circulating on social media. These posts claim that the idols under construction were recently vandalized ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the Bengali Hindu community. However, verification shows that these pictures are not recent; they are from two years ago, according to multiple media reports.

Several social media posts on Facebook (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) have spread images of the alleged idol vandalism. These posts have also been shared in groups like “Bangladeshi Hindu,” “Save Bangladeshi Hindus,” and “Hindu Solidarity.” One such post states, “The game has begun. The Harirampur incident in Manikganj marks the first attack of this year’s Durga Puja” Another post claims, “The Autumn festival begins with the vandalism of a newly built idol at the Sarvajanin Durga temple in Vadiakhola village, Harirampur Upazila, Manikganj district, Bangladesh.” Hashtags such as #AllEyesOnBangladeshiHindus, #HindusAreNotSafeInBangladesh, and #SaveBangladeshiHindus are also used in these posts.

These images have also been shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Multiple tweets (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) in both Bengali and English claim that the Durga temple idol in Manikganj was vandalized. One tweet, using the hashtag #SaveHindusInBangladesh, reads, “Vandalism of the newly constructed idol of Sarvajan Durga temple in Vadiakhola village, Harirampur upazila, Manikganj district, Bangladesh.”

Reverse image verification reveals that the images being circulated as evidence of recent idol vandalism actually date back to 2022. At that time, the incident was reported by multiple media outlets. One of the images, now being shared in the recent claims, has been found in a report titled “Manikganj temple idol vandalism, police searching for the perpetrators” published by Prothom Alo on August 27, 2022. According to the report, miscreants vandalized a temple idol in Harirampur Upazila of Manikganj in 2022. The incident took place at Bhadiakhola Bazar Sarvajanin Durgamandir in the mentioned upazila. Later, the artisans repaired the damaged parts of the idols in the presence of the police and administration.

Another report on the same incident, titled “Durga idol vandalized in Manikganj temple, police are investigating,” was published by bdnews24.com on August 27, 2022. This report includes another image that is now being circulated in these misleading claims.

Further verification confirms that all the images being spread recently are from the same incident in 2022. A post dated August 26, 2022, by a page named Hindu News24.com, includes all the pictures currently being circulated regarding the vandalism. At that time, these images were also available in several social media posts on Facebook and Twitter (1, 2, 3).

In conclusion, the recently spread images with claims of idol vandalism in Harirampur, Manikganj, are from August 2022. The incident occurred at the Bhadiakhola Bazar Sarvajanin Durga temple in Harirampur Upazila.

Since the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, there has been a surge in the spread of pictures and videos claiming communal violence in Bangladesh. Several reports by Dismislab (1, 2, 3) have highlighted the issue of fake communal claims, where old and irrelevant clips or images are spread on various social media platforms, including X.