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The attackers fled after facing resistance from the shrine’s security guards and other devotees, the statement added.

The violence follows a pattern of attacks on shrines across the country.

According to a study by Maqam: Center for Sufi Heritage, at least 97 shrines were attacked between August 5, 2024, and December 31, 2025, leaving three people dead and 468 injured.

During a visit to the shrine on Friday, at least two devotees told this correspondent on condition of anonymity that Jamaat and Shibir activists were behind the assault. Police officials also echoed the allegation.

However, local lawmaker and Jamaat leader Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem denied his party’s involvement. He claimed the incident was part of an “anti-narcotics drive” by police, a claim the force has since rejected.

The attack drew condemnation from Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) and several political parties.

In a statement, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the attack contradicted the spirit and objectives of Bangladesh’s independence and the July movement and reflected growing threats to pluralism, religious diversity, and cultural coexistence.

He said the incident should not be viewed in isolation but rather as part of a broader effort to spread hatred and violence and undermine the country’s liberal folk traditions and cultural diversity.

TIB urged the government to conduct a fair and impartial investigation and ensure exemplary punishment of those responsible.

TIB also called on Jamaat and other religion-based political parties to clarify their positions on Bangladesh’s cultural diversity, folk heritage, and the coexistence of different beliefs and practices. “It is not enough for Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami merely to deny allegations of involvement by its activists,” Iftekharuzzaman said.

The Dhaka North city unit of the NCP also condemned the attack and called on the government to take effective measures to prevent such incidents.

A delegation of the NCP, led by its Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar, visited the shrine yesterday.

Separately, Ganosamhati Andolan leaders Dewan Abdur Rashid Nilu and Abul Hasan Rubel expressed concern over police inaction, noting that although photos and videos of the attackers had surfaced in the media, there had been no visible effort to identify the perpetrators.