A wave of anti-Hindu pogroms across Bangladesh in late 1989 destroyed hundreds of temples and thousands of homes in response to events in India.
Key Facts
- Temples destroyed
- More than 400
- Duration
- October–November 1989
- Injured in Khulna (Nov 18)
- At least 50 people
- Hindu shops burned in Narsingdi
- More than 25 shops
- Attackers at Khulna stone-throwing
- About 500 people
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The riots were apparently triggered by the laying of the foundation stone of a Ram temple adjacent to the demolished Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India, which inflamed communal tensions across Bangladesh and prompted organized mob actions targeting the Hindu minority.
Between October and November 1989, Muslim mobs carried out coordinated attacks on Hindu communities in multiple Bangladeshi cities including Chittagong, Khulna, Narsingdi, Barisal, and Comilla. Thousands of Hindu homes and businesses were looted and burned, over 400 temples were destroyed, Hindu students were expelled from hostels, and scores of people were injured.
The violence resulted in widespread destruction of Hindu property and places of worship across Bangladesh, with Hindu communities suffering economic losses, physical harm, and religious desecration. The events further eroded the security of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh and drew attention to the vulnerability of religious minorities to cross-border communal triggers.
Political Outcome
Widespread destruction of Hindu temples, homes, and businesses; no recorded government intervention prevented the violence; curfews were defied by mobs.