Bangladeshi Hindus set to celebrate Durga Puja amid high alert

Dhaka [Bangladesh], September 26 (ANI): Hindus in Bangladesh have completed all preparations to celebrate the largest festival, Durga Puja, amid high alert due to security concerns.
Durga Puja, the main religious festival of the Hindu community in Bangladesh, will be held for five days from Sunday, September 28, to Thursday, October 2. Beautifully decorated idols of Goddess Durga have been installed in the worship halls. This year, 33,355 pujas are being held across Bangladesh, which is about 1,000 more than last year, Hindu leaders said.
"Amidst the preparations for Durga Puja, there have been incidents of attacks on Durga idols and temples in several districts. The districts are Kustia, Chittagong, Kurigram, Sathkhira, Jhenidaha, Netrakona, Gaibandha, Panchagarh, Jamalpur, Natore, Gazipur, Manikgonj, Chapainawabgonj," Jayanta Kumar Deb, President of the Metropolitan Public Puja Committee in Dhaka, said at a news conference on Friday.
"Law enforcement agencies have taken quick action. Many of the miscreants have been detained. We don't want attacks during the puja," he added.
"The violence must be brought to an end not only through the action of law enforcement, but also through the enlightened consciousness of the country and social resistance," Deb said.
"It is not enough to think about security for five days of Durga Puja. If we want to build an anti-discrimination Bangladesh, we have to think about security for 365 days. We have to develop a non-communal consciousness. We want to create a culture of judging the miscreants," he said.
The Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council has issued 22-point instructions to Durga Puja organisers across the country to coordinate with authorities and ensure the security of the festivals.
The council also demanded the withdrawal of false and baseless harassment cases against religious and ethnic minority leaders and innocent people across the country before the puja.
"Last year, the situation was created after the incidents of 5th August (student-led uprising against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina). Some temples as well as some idols were vandalised," Bashudeb Dhar, President of the National Puja Celebration Council, told ANI while standing at the premises of the historic Dhakeshwari Temple in the capital Dhaka.
"But the government took action against the miscreants. This year also, 11 districts experienced vandalism. We had a meeting with the home adviser and other advisers and top security officials. They have assured us of adequate safety and security measures," he added.
Dhakeshwari, meaning the Goddess of Dhaka, is the national Hindu temple in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Some scholars and researchers say Dhaka was named after Dhakeshwari.
"Puja is ours, but the celebration part is for all. This is the heritage of Bangladesh," Dhar said. (ANI)