They demonstrated in front of the upazila nirbahi officer's (UNO) office and Tanore Police Station yesterday, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.

They will refrain from celebrating their greatest festival -- Durga Puja -- if the miscreants are not brought to book, they said.

The gang burst into Parossya Durga Temple at Kamargaon at the dead of night when the caretakers and idol makers were asleep. They damaged the idol of Durga and other idols, mostly by breaking their heads.

Later, they went to nearby Durgapur village, damaged some idols of Durga kept on the premises of the house of Sukesh Kumar Pramanik and fled, sources said.

UNO Abdul Mannan and upazila Puja Udjapon Committee President Narayan Chandra Biswas visited the spots and asked local people to help maintain a congenial atmosphere.

Mannan told newsmen security was beefed up following the incident and police were asked to nab the culprits as soon as possible. "No-one has seen the attackers," he said.

Ramkomol Saha, a representative of Parossya Temple, filed a case without accusing anyone.