Puja Front says Hindus celebrated Durga Puja without insecurity nationwide
Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Front today said no member of the Hindu community felt insecure in celebrating the Durga Puja this year across the country.
“The festival has been celebrated in a joyous atmosphere. No follower of the Sanatan (Hindu) faith faced any sense of insecurity during this year’s Durga Puja celebrations,” Front’s general secretary Milton Baidya said.
He added no single untoward incident over the celebration was reported this year and it set a unique precedent in the political and social history of Bangladesh.
“Not a single Hindu felt insecure during this year’s Puja," Baidya repeated as he addressed a press conference by the organization at the Jatiya Press Club here where he delivered a written statement.
He noted that while some quarters in the past claimed to be the "best friends" of the Sanatan community, just delivered lip service while in contrast, the present BNP government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman proved this through concrete action.
Baidya said the principle articulated by the Prime Minister "Religion is a personal matter, but the state belongs to everyone; everyone has the right to get security" was not merely a political promise.
Rather, he said, the prime minister demonstrated validity of his remarks through actions which significantly enhanced the joy of the festival.
Baidya said apart from the security management, the government this year nearly doubled the financial support provided to the Hindu community compared to what had been expected.
Moreover, he said, respecting the community's desire for a more inclusive celebration, the present government extended the holiday period granting a five-day break which allowed the ordinary citizens and employees to spend more time sharing the festive spirit with their families.
Baidya said while previous heads of government typically limited their visits to Puja mandaps within Dhaka Tarique Rahman visited mandaps across various parts of the country.
He said this sincere initiative reaching out to the homes of followers of the Hindus to exchange greetings and enquire about their well-being served as an initiative to unite the entire nation.
Baidya noted that the government ensured a three-tier security blanket calling it an unprecedented nationwide security measure, involving the police, SRB, Ansar and other security forces.
“Thanks to the use of CCTV cameras and rigorous intelligence surveillance, devotees were able to perform their worship in peace and without any concern,” he said.
Furthermore, the government’s ‘zero-tolerance’ policy toward any form of malicious propaganda or religious provocation both before and after the festival restored confidence among the ordinary citizens and the Hindus.
