4 held for vandalising idol at Pirojpur temple

Four youths were held Monday for vandalising an idol of a Hindu goddess at a temple in Pirojpur, police said.

Shubho Sheikh, 40, Abu Bakkar Siddiki, 17, Hasan Sheikh, 17, and Ramzan Mollah, 12, all from Pirojpur Sadar upazila, smashed the idol at Sri Sri Shitala Mandir in Durgapur union, Md Masuduzzaman, officer-in-charge of Pirojpur Sadar police station, said.

Kala Chand Mandal, the priest of the temple, said: "Around 11:00am Sunday, I left the temple after performing worship services and the next morning found the idol's legs, hands, and head smashed."

The locals saw three or four youths wandering around the temple, he added. "They held Subho, Abu Bakkar, and Hasan, and the trio admitted that they had smashed and destroyed the idol along with Ramzan."

OC Masuduzzaman said: "We detained four people after being informed by the locals. Police forces have been deployed to secure the temple and a case will be filed in connection with the incident."