A Buddha statue has been vandalized by unidentified miscreants in Guimara upazila of Khagrachhari.
The incident occurred in the Kukichhara area of Halfchhari union, between midnight and 4am on Tuesday.
According to Halfchhari Union Chairman Chaithowai Chowdhury, the statue was in a temple built by Buddhists in the area in June last year.
As there was no one at the temple when the incident occurred, it is impossible to say who are responsible.
Guimara police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Gias Uddin said: “The crime was most likely committed by a vested group trying to tarnish the goodwill between religious communities in the area. Police have inspected the area along with eminent locals, and are questioning people in the area to find the culprit.
“However, a formal complaint is yet to be made by the temple authorities,” he added.
As the Buddhist temples in the area will be celebrating the Buddhist festival of Probarona Purnima next Wednesday, many posts on social media are condemning the timing of the deplorable act.
