By Peter Omopo
September 6, 2025 | Dhaka
Bangladesh police have begun a manhunt after hundreds of hardline Islamists desecrated the grave of a controversial cleric, an attack that left one person dead and dozens injured in Rajbari District.
The violence broke out on Friday when members of the Iman-Aqida Raksha Committee stormed the shrine of Nurul Haque Molla, better known as Nura Pagla (“Mad Nura”), whose burial in August had drawn criticism for deviating from mainstream Sunni Muslim traditions.
Eyewitnesses said about 2,000 attackers armed with crowbars, hammers, and sticks dug up the grave, disinterred Molla’s body, and set it on fire. Clashes between the group and Molla’s supporters left one shrine custodian, 28-year-old Russell Molla, dead, and at least 50 others injured, including three in critical condition.
Police Superintendent Md Kamrul Islam confirmed the incident and vowed that all perpetrators would be brought to justice.
“We have started identifying those responsible, and none will be spared,” he said.
Hardliners were reportedly angered because Molla’s gravestone was designed to resemble the Kaaba in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site. Molla, who had controversially claimed to be the Imam Mahdi—a messianic figure in Islam—remained a divisive figure until his death.
Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, condemned the desecration, describing it as “inhuman and despicable.”
“The Interim Government is committed to upholding the rule of law and preserving the sanctity of every human life, both in life and in death,” it said in a statement.
The attack adds to a growing wave of assaults on shrines and cultural sites since the fall of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Human rights activist Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir warned that the incident reflected rising religious intolerance in the country.
“We have seen attempts to block cultural programmes, backlash against music teachers in schools, and repeated vandalism at Sufi shrines. This desecration is part of a disturbing pattern,” he said.
Police investigations and security reinforcements are ongoing in the Rajbari area to prevent further violence.
