Ancient Hindu temple torched, vandalised in Bangladesh

A hundred-year-old Hindu temple was vandalised and torched on Friday in the Bagerhat district of Bangladesh.

Police said the incident occurred at the family temple of Nawaparha Jamindar Barhi on Friday morning, bdnews24.com reported.

Priest Pradip Bhattacharya said he had called out for help seeing smoke belching out of the temple.

"We put out the fire with the help of our neighbours," the priest was quoted as saying.

Bhattacharya said miscreants had damaged the idols of Durga, Laxmi, Saraswati, Kartik and set them on fire.

Superintendent of Bagerhat police Nizamul Haq Molla visited the site.

He said police had begun raids to arrest the vandals.