Hindu community fears over upcoming Durga Puja celebrations
Since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign, attacks against minority Hindus have intensified. Some statues have been recently destroyed and vandalised at Hindu temples. To ensure the Hindu holiday takes place in a calm atmosphere, Bangladesh’s new government is deploying its security forces.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) – Bangladesh’s Hindu community is preparing to celebrate Durga Puja from 8 to 13 October, one of the most important religious holidays for the Hindu minority.
This year the festive atmosphere has been overshadowed by tensions and fears provoked by the rising number of incidents of anti-Hindu violence, which intensified after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on 5 August.
Several Hindu places of worship have been attacked recently. On Thursday, for example, seven statues of the goddess Durga were destroyed at the Sri Sri Jeor Akhara temple, Kishoreganj district.
The Gopinath Sangh, the community organising the Durga Puja at Manipurghat Road Hindupara, explained that this year the event is being held at this location for the first time and that, despite volunteers guarding the temple until the wee hours of the morning, vandals still managed to enter and destroy some statues.
According to some reports, Muslim extremist groups have issued a fatwa against the worship of statues, and Hindu Bangladeshis have been accused of being “anti-national” because they are associated with India, considered by some to be an "enemy" country.
In some cases, Hindu temples have been told to display banners with anti-Indian slogans.
Yesterday, the Bangladesh Combined Minority Alliance held a rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka, calling for justice and certain key measures, like the creation of courts for faster trials, a law for the protection of minorities, the establishment of a Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the provision of prayer spaces in universities.
During the event, speakers stressed the urgency of protecting the most vulnerable communities and ending systematic discrimination.
Meanwhile, security measures for Durga Puja have been further tightened.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the director of the communications department of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Lieutenant Colonel Munim Ferdous, outlined the special measures put in place to prevent unrest during the celebrations.
The RAB will provide bomb disposal units and deploy intelligence services for quick intervention across the country.
Some 31,461 places of worship have been identified, with security patrols and cyber monitoring actively deployed to guarantee protection, Lt Col Ferdous said.
Celebrated throughout the Indian subcontinent, the Durga Puja is the most important holy day for Hindus. Dedicated to the goddess Durga, it is a symbol of the victory of good over evil.
Despite difficulties, Bangladesh’s caretaker government has promised to ensure peaceful celebrations, stating that special security measures have been adopted to allow the holiday to take place in a calm atmosphere.
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