A 500-year-old Hindu temple has been demolished in Bangladesh’s Noakhali area, with widespread discussions on social media suggesting that the demolition was carried out on the “orders” of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
In videos gaining significant attention on the internet, bulldozer can be seen demolishing an old structure, with the local Hindu community claiming that action was taken against the historic temple in Noakhali.
In a post on X, the “Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus” account has claimed that the government had ordered the action against the temple, which allegedly came after West Bengal decided to relocate the Bankra Mosque from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport area to extend the runway after years of negotiations.
The 136-year-old Gauripur Jama Masjid is known as the ‘Bankra Masjid’ and is located within the airport.
The X account claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendhu Adhikari “wanted to shift the mosque,” while Tarique Rahman “chose to completely destroy the ancient temple.”
🚨 Breaking: After @bbcbangla highlighted the relocation of a 136-year-old mosque in West Bengal, Tarique Rahman reportedly ordered the demolition of a 500-year-old Hindu temple in Noakhali, Bangladesh.
Shuvendu wanted to shift the mosque, but Tarique chose to completely… pic.twitter.com/2MjvYpHMlP
— Voice Of BD Hindus 🇧🇩 (@HinduUnityBD) July 16, 2026
Meanwhile, some even claimed that the demolition work was allegedly “carried out with the backing of the Bangladesh government.”
This comes days after the police in Bangladesh arrested a man, who was behind the construction of a 81-foot-high Lord Ram statue.
The person, named Haridas Chandra Tarani Das, was reportedly taken into custody on charges of money laundering. He was arrested in the late hours of July 12 from Bangladesh’s Gaibandha district in Bangladesh.
Das had earlier proposed building an 81-foot statue of Lord Ram at the Sri Sri Radha Gobinda Kali Temple in Gaibandha’s Palashbari.