Hindu community leaders in Bangladesh have demanded year-round protection for religious minorities and their places of worship, not just a five-day protection during the Durga Puja, local media reported. These attacks occurred amid preparations for the largest religious festival of the Hindu minorities in Bangladesh to be celebrated nationwide from September 28 to October 2. These violent incidents highlight a troubling trend as the nation has witnessed a surge in attacks on Hindu temples and minorities since the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government assumed power in Bangladesh in August 2024. Following this, in a similar disturbing act of violence, a miscreant vandalised seven idols at a Hindu temple in Sarishabari upazila of Jamalpur district, amid a continued wave of attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh. Earlier this week, Bangladesh’s Awami League party condemned the attacks on temples and vandalism of idols during the Durga Puja preparations.