Ancestral land, shattered faith: Indigenous families shaken after temple attack in Bangladesh

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

A violent land dispute in northern Bangladesh has left Indigenous families shaken after a small temple was destroyed, several people injured, and long-standing tensions over ancestral land reignited in a rural village.

The incident took place on Sunday afternoon in Sonka Khristanpara village under Birganj Upazila, where members of the Murmu and Soren Indigenous communities say they have lived for generations on land they consider ancestral.

The dispute centres on a 0.93-acre plot of land that is officially recorded in government documents as khas land.

Residents, however, say they have lived on and used the land for decades, and that it contains a temple and a burial ground used by the wider community.

According to police and eyewitness accounts, tensions escalated when a group of around 150 to 200 men entered the village at about 1:00 pm, allegedly led by Rezaul Islam and his uncle Azad from a nearby area.

The group was reportedly armed with sticks, iron rods and sharp weapons.

“They came in large numbers and began attacking and destroying property,” said Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge of Birganj Police Station.

“The temple was vandalised, idols were destroyed, trees in the burial ground were cut, and houses were damaged.”

The small temple at the centre of the dispute was destroyed within minutes. Residents said it served as a shared place of worship for both Hindu and Christian Indigenous families in the area.

Religious figures were broken and left scattered on the ground.

For residents, the destruction carried both cultural and emotional weight.

“That temple was part of our life here,” said Manu Kisku, a local resident. “It is where we prayed and remembered our ancestors. We have nothing else like it.”

When villagers attempted to resist the attack, the violence escalated.

“They beat us and gave us no chance to defend ourselves,” said Pius Murmu, 45, speaking from his hospital bed.

“They entered my house, attacked me, and set it on fire. Everything we had built over generations was destroyed.”

At least six people were injured in the incident, according to local officials. Among them, Bishwanath Soren, 27, suffered a serious chest injury caused by an arrow and remains under treatment at Birganj Upazila Health Complex.

Doctors said his condition is serious.
Another resident, Noren Hemrom, said the group appeared intent on forcibly taking control of the land.

“This was not a normal dispute,” he said. “They came with force. We were outnumbered and had no way to protect ourselves.”

Residents also alleged that women were harassed during the attack and that several homes were targeted. These allegations have not yet been independently verified.

The burial ground adjacent to the temple, used by more than 200 families from surrounding villages, was also damaged.

Trees were cut down and parts of the site were damaged and desecrated, residents said.

“This is where our ancestors are buried,” said Manu Kisku. “Even if official records say something else, our history is here. Our connection to this land is not new.”

Local authorities say the disputed 0.93-acre plot is recorded as government-owned khas land.

Dipankar Barman, assistant commissioner for land, described the incident as “deeply inhumane” and said an investigation is under way.

Police said they have brought the situation under control and seized equipment used in the attack.

No arrests have yet been made.

The village is home to around 50 to 60 Indigenous households, while many more families in surrounding areas rely on the burial ground for cultural and religious practices.

In rural Bangladesh, land disputes involving government khas land are relatively common, particularly where communities have lived for generations without formal ownership documentation.

Indigenous groups in particular have frequently raised concerns about vulnerability in such disputes.

For residents of Sonka Khristanpara, the immediate concern is safety and uncertainty about what comes next.

“We are still here,” said Pius Murmu. “But we don’t know what will happen next or whether we will be able to stay on our own land.”