Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Yunus visits Dhakeshwari temple following vandalism during Durga Puja celebrations

Dhaka: Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, on Saturday visited the centuries-old Dhakeshwari temple amid reports of attack on another prominent Durga Puja celebration in the national capital.

The government wants to build Bangladesh in such a way “where each and every citizen's right will be ensured,” Yunus said at a function at the temple.

A crude bomb was allegedly thrown at a Durga Puja mandap in the Tanti Bazar area of Old Dhaka and although the bomb caught fire, nobody was injured, daily Prothom Alo said, adding, the incident took place on Friday night.

From October 1 onwards till Friday, 17 persons were arrested and about a dozen cases registered after Bangladesh witnessed about 35 untoward incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations, The Dhaka Tribune said quoting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Moinul Islam.

The five-day Hindu religious festival began with an invocation of Goddess Durga, an occasion called Maha Shasthi on Wednesday. The celebrations would conclude with the immersion of Goddess Durga murtis on Sunday.

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

In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it has noted with “serious concern” the reported attack on Durga Puja mandaps citing the Tantibazar incident of Friday and the theft of a golden crown at the Jeshoreshwari Kali temple at Satkhira, about 270 km southwest of Dhaka.

Prompted by the latest attack on the Durga Puja mandap, Yunus visited the Dhakeshwari National Temple, one of the prominent shakti peeths, in the old part of the city as against the earlier announced plan of a Sunday visit.

“During his visit, Yunus exchanged greetings with the members of Hindu community on the auspicious occasion of the Durga Puja, the largest Hindu religious festival in Bangladesh,” the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), said quoting the chief adviser's press wing.

The Daily Star quoted Yunus as saying during a function at the Dhakeshwari temple that the government wants to build Bangladesh in such a way “where each and every citizen's right will be ensured”.

“During the Durga Puja, law enforcement agencies have done the 'tough' task of ensuring public security with sincerity. However, it is a collective failure to seek law enforcement agencies' support while celebrating an occasion,” Yunus said.

Later, AF Hassan Ariff, adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, Cooperatives, and the Ministry of Land, visited the local hospital to see the injured victims of the attack at the Tanti Bazar puja mandap and also inspected the mandap organised by the Tanti Bazar Puja Committee, daily Dhaka Tribune said.

In another report, the BSS said that Home Advisor to the interim government Lieutenant General (Rtd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury visited various puja mandaps under Srinagar and Sirajdikhan and said the government has already allocated Taka four crore for celebrations.

On Saturday, India said it has noted with “serious concern” the reported attack on a Durga Puja pandal and theft at a revered Kali temple and requested Dhaka to ensure the safety and security of Hindus, all other minorities and their places of worship.

Describing the incidents as “deplorable events” and flagging that these follow a “systematic pattern of desecration” of temples and deities in Bangladesh, the MEA said in a statement: “We call upon the government of Bangladesh to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities and their places of worship, especially during this auspicious festival time.” 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 while a case was filed against seven people, including the Puja committee’s joint general secretary Sajal Dutta, in connection with the Chattogram incident, media reports said.

Commenting on the theft of the golden crown, leader of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council Krishna Mukherjee said: “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.” 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.