A university student, identified as Prantha Kumar Das, 25, was caught red-handed and detained on charges of vandalizing idols and other structures at an ISKCON temple in Pabna city.
The incident took place Monday morning at the temple adjacent to Pabna Polytechnic Institute. Temple authorities detained him and alerted police, who arrived at the scene, rescued him and took him to the police station.
Das is a second-year student in the Department of Statistics at Pabna University of Science and Technology. He is from the Sudhirpur area of Atrai upazila in Naogaon district and is the son of Prashanta Chandra Mondol, according to police and local sources.
According to temple authorities and police, Das entered the temple after it opened in the morning and began vandalizing it. Temple staff noticed and detained him on the spot. Multiple sources said temple authorities beat him after detaining him. Police, alerted to the incident, arrived, rescued him and took him to the station.
Pabna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Tariqul Islam said Das was reportedly mentally ill. Police said his mental condition appeared to deteriorate after he entered the temple, leading him to begin vandalizing it, though no medical records or further details about his condition were immediately disclosed.
Police said a case has been filed against Das over the incident. He was shown arrested and sent to court. Details of the charges filed and the extent of damage to the temple were not immediately available. The incident has caused a stir in Pabna, and officials said the actual cause of the vandalism, along with the student’s mental state at the time, would become clear through investigation.