Petrol Bomb Attack Rocks Tantibazar Durga Puja Celebration in Dhaka. 35 Incidents of Durga Puja-Related Violence Reported Since Oct 1, 12

VSB | HENB | New Delhi | Oct 12, 2024:: Amidst various restrictions on Durga Puja in Bangladesh as imposed by the interim Muhammad Yunus Government there, the Bengali Hindu’s biggest festival has been marred under the threats and attacks by the Islamist perpetrators.

Reports came in that a petrol bomb attack targeted the Tantibazar Durgapuja Pandal in Old Dhaka on Friday evening, sparking a fire but fortunately causing no injuries. According to eyewitnesses, unidentified youths hurled a glass bottle containing incendiary material from a nearby lane. When volunteers attempted to apprehend the perpetrators, they were met with violence, resulting in at least five people being stabbed with sharp knives. Dhaka Kotwali Police arrested three Muslim youths in the related incident.

It is learnt that Islamist perpetrators targeted the Durga Puja pandal in Tantibazar, Old Dhaka, using a dual-pronged attack. Assailants placed a kerosene-filled bottle inside the pandal before hurling a petrol bomb, sparking chaos.

This year, Bangladesh witnessed a significant decline in the number of Sarbajonin Durgapuja celebrations, with a decrease of 946 puja celebrations across the country. This downturn is reportedly linked to feelings of insecurity and extortion among the organizers and participants caused by Islamist threats.

Bangladesh has witnessed a series of unfortunate incidents during the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations. Since October 1, there have been around 35 untoward incidents across the country, resulting in 17 arrests and a dozen cases registered. This development comes on the heels of a shocking theft – a hand-crafted golden crown gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021 was stolen from  Jashoreshwari Temple in Satkhira district. India has expressed its high concern for the attacks on Hindus, Hindu Temples and Hindu Celebrations targeting religious identity.

The incidents have mainly targeted the Hindu minority community, with vandalism of businesses and properties, as well as destruction of temples. The affected areas include Khulna, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet.

The minority Hindu population — Hindus constitute just about 8 per cent of the 170 million Bangladesh population — faced vandalism of their businesses, and properties and destruction of temples during the student-led violence that erupted following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5.

Since October 1, 35 incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations have occurred across the country, leading to 11 cases being filed, 24 general diaries (GD) registered, and 17 individuals arrested, newspaper The Dhaka Tribune said quoting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Moinul Islam.

The IGP’s visit was prompted after Hindus in Bangladesh woke up to a shock on Friday when news broke out about the theft of a hand-crafted golden mukut (crown) on Thursday at the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple in Satkhira during his visit to Bangladesh in 2021.

The incident prompted the Indian High Commission here to urge the Bangladesh government to investigate the theft and recover the crown apart from taking action against the perpetrators.

IGP Islam assured that the police have records of those responsible for the incidents and said: Anyone involved in these disruptions will be brought to justice. We will take strict action if anyone attempts to create chaos or engage in malicious activities during Durga Puja.

Responding to a question about the attack in Chittagong, the IGP said, two people were arrested following a raid on Thursday and efforts are on to ascertain the motive behind it. Earlier on Thursday, half a dozen men sang a song calling for Islamic revolution on the stage of a Durga puja mandap at Jatra Mohan Sen Hall in Chattogram, about 250 km southeast of Dhaka, causing widespread outrage, the bdnews24.com said.

Chattogram Metropolitan Police on Friday arrested two people over singing the song calling for Islamic revolution, newspaper The Business Standard said. A case was filed against seven people, including the Puja committee’s joint general secretary Sajal Dutta, in connection with the Chattogram incident.

Hillol Sen Uzzal, general secretary of the Puja Udjapan Parishad in Chattogram, told The Daily Star that the incident shocked the local Hindu community and created a tense situation in the area. A video clip of the incident went viral on social media causing further outrage.

Earlier on Friday, Bangladesh police said they have identified a man in connection with the theft of the golden crown, and launched a massive manhunt to recover it.

A private news channel showed a young man wearing a white T-shirt and jeans sneaking into the temple when no one was there, removing the golden part of the crown and pocketing it before going away.

It could be a simple case of theft or it could be a case of an orchestrated plot. We demand the matter be investigated properly and the persons involved be brought to justice, leader of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council Krishna Mukherjee said.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangtha (BSS), the state-run news agency, said Chiefs of the three services — Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zama, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Nazmul Hassan and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan — visited the Ramna Kali Temple in Dhaka on Friday.

Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sazeeb Bhuiyan exchanged greetings with members of the Hindu community at the Durga Puja puja mandaps at Gallamari Harichand Tagore Temple and Bagmara Govinda Temple in Khulna on Friday. On Sunday, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is expected to visit the centuries-old Dhakeswari national temple, one of the prominent shaktee peeths, in the heart of the national capital.

Earlier last month, with threats from Islamist groups weeks ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations, the interim government’s Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain had warned of tough action against those disrupting communal harmony or targeting places of worship during the Hindu festival.

Bangladesh’s week-long Durga Puja celebrations, concluding on Sunday with goddess immersions, have been marred by reports of vandalism, violence, and intimidation targeting the Hindu community. This unrest has strained the approximately 13 million Hindus, comprising 8% of Bangladesh’s 170 million population, who have faced harassment and attacks in various parts of the country.

__Inputs from PTI, TOI, WION, Indian Express and R. Bangla.