Persecution of minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh continues despite several warnings from Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and army officers. Nearly a dozen cases have been registered after around 35 untoward incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations across the country this month, police said. According to a video going viral on social media platforms, unidentified miscreants threw petrol bombs at a Durga Puja pandal in Dhaka on Friday. The incident reportedly took place in the Tati Bazaar area of the Bangladesh capital. A video shared on Twitter by a minority rights group shows an injured man being taken to hospital. The incident occurred as the five-day Hindu religious festival called Maha Shashthi began on Wednesday with the invocation of Goddess Durga.
Durga Puja Celebration
Seventeen people have been arrested and around a dozen cases registered in Bangladesh after around 35 untoward incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations were reported across the country this month. The newspaper Dhaka Tribune quoted Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammad Moinul Islam as saying, “Since October 1, there have been 35 incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations across the country, of which 11 cases have been registered, 24 general diary ( GD) have been registered and 17 people have been arrested.” Islam visited the Banani Puja Mandal in Dhaka on Friday, after which he told reporters that Durga Puja was being celebrated in more than 32,000 mandals across the country.
About 35 unpleasant incidents related to Durga Puja festival in Bangladesh
17 people have been arrested and more than 12 cases have been registered after around 35 untoward incidents related to Durga Puja festival in Bangladesh. Police gave this information here. The development comes a day after it was revealed that a handmade gold crown gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stolen from a Hindu temple in Bangladesh’s south-western Satkhira district during Durga Puja celebrations. India had expressed concern over this incident of theft. The five-day Hindu religious festival, known as Mahasashti, began on Wednesday with the invocation of Goddess Durga. The festival will conclude on Sunday with the immersion of the idols of Goddess Durga.
Minority Hindus faced harassment during the violence
Minority Hindus in Bangladesh faced harassment during the violence that broke out after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister on August 5. Their business establishments and properties were vandalized and temples were damaged. Only eight percent of Bangladesh’s population of 17 crore are Hindus. The Dhaka Tribune quoted Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammad Moinul Islam as saying, “Since October 1, there have been 35 incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja festival across the country, of which 11 cases are being registered, 24 General Diary (GD) was registered and 17 people have been arrested.
Durga Puja is being organized in more than 32,000 pavilions across the country.
He told in Dhaka on Friday that Durga Puja is being organized in more than 32,000 pavilions across the country. On the incident of theft of gold crown, IGP Islam assured that the police has the record of the people responsible for the incident. “Those involved in such disruptions will be punished,” he said. We will take strict action if anyone tries to create chaos or indulge in malicious activities during Durga Puja.
Call for Islamic revolution, violence erupted
To a question about the attack in Chittagong, he said two people were arrested after a raid on Thursday and efforts were on to find out the motive behind it. Earlier, bdnews24.com reported that on Thursday, about six people sang a song calling for Islamic revolution on the stage of a Durga Puja pavilion at the Jatra Mohan Sen Hall in Chittagong, about 250 kilometers south-east of Dhaka, leading to Widespread outrage spread. A video clip of the incident went viral on social media, sparking further outrage among people. Bangladesh Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus is likely to visit the centuries-old Dhakeshwari temple on Sunday which is located in Dhaka and is one of the major Shakti Peethas.
Bomb Blast in Tatibazara Puja Mandap, Dhaka.#DurgaPujaAttack2024 pic.twitter.com/BQqHj5SURo
— Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@VHindus71) October 11, 2024
Jihadis are singing Islami jihadi songs in Durga puja pandel in Chittagong Bangladesh. What if Hindus sing hare ram hare krishna during Namaz inside mosques? pic.twitter.com/Lm0UFzflOR
— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) October 10, 2024