Durga Puja celebrations muted amid attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh

Dhaka: The Hindus in Bangladesh will celebrate Durga Puja in a subdued manner this year to register their protest against attacks on the community following Sheikh Hasina's ouster, according to minority leaders.

Communal tensions rose in the country after Prime Minister Hasina's resignation on August 5 following protests against a controversial job quota system, with over 2,000 reported attacks against the community in the last two months.

Hindus — the largest minority group in the country — now find themselves at a pivotal crossroads in the wake of unprecedented violence and political upheaval in the country.

Fear has overshadowed the usual vibrancy of Durga Puja, prompting many to tone down their traditional celebrations and festivities.

“This year, we are just organising Durga Puja, and there will be no Durga Puja celebrations," Ranjan Karmakar, a Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCOP) praesidium member, told PTI.

"This is a form of protest from the Hindu community, and the Hindus are also not in the frame of mind to participate in any form of festivities following the continuous attacks on our community since August this year," Karmakar said, adding that many puja organisers were facing threats and ransom calls.

Basudeb Dhar, Chairperson of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, said that while the government has assured their safety, the community has decided to hold the festival in a subdued manner by conducting Durga Puja rituals and avoiding all forms of festivities, including cultural programmes.

"...we have urged all puja organisers to display protest banners peacefully. These banners will list our demands, which include setting up an impartial investigation panel to ensure justice for minority persecution cases and the creation of a Minority Protection Act,” he said.

As many as 2,010 incidents of attacks on the Hindu community were reported in Bangladesh from August 5 to August 20, ranging from murder and physical assaults to sexual assaults and attacks on temples, according to data collected by the BHBCOP. Bangladesh's government has not released official figures on the number of attacks.

Meanwhile, another Hindu leader, who is also an organiser of a Durga Puja, claimed several puja committees have “received anonymous threat letters demanding large sums of money—specifically, Bangladesh taka 3-5 lakh—to allow their celebrations to continue without disruption.” “Is this a secure atmosphere where we can hold Durga Puja celebrations peacefully? This is not an isolated incident but has now become a norm this year,” he said.

Radical Islamic groups are opposing the open celebration of Durga Puja and nationwide holidays during the festival, while reports of violence against minorities, particularly Hindus, have surged, igniting fears for the safety of those planning to celebrate from October 9 to 13 this year.

Reports of vandalism of Durga idols and the looting of donation boxes served as chilling reminders of past violence, leaving the once-bustling streets filled with devotees eerily quiet and overshadowing the vibrant colours of the festival with fears of potential communal strife.

Historically, the Awami League, recognised for its secular stance, received substantial support from the Hindu community, but the sudden power vacuum resulted in a wave of violence that disproportionately affected community members.

“During the Awami League’s regime, too, Durga Pujas were attacked, and idols were vandalised. I won’t be surprised if Awami League sympathisers are behind these current attacks to defame the present interim government and portray a picture that Hindus are under threat without Sheikh Hasina,” said Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, general secretary of the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote.

According to several Hindu leaders, a statement by Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury asking the Hindu community to temporarily pause activities related to Durga Puja, especially music, during the Muslim call to prayer (azaan) and prayer times (namaz), has only aggravated the matter.

“There was no need for the Home Affairs Adviser to come out with such a statement. It is a general norm in Bangladesh that during the period of azaan, we switch off our puja music or slokas being played through loudspeakers. Such statements only help the fundamentalists,” another Hindu leader said.

Kajal Debnath, a BHBCOP leader, told PTI that while there have been instances of attacks on pandals and temples from various parts of the country, including Dhaka, 31,461 Durga Pujas are being held this year.

As per the government data, the number of Durga Pujas likely to be held across Bangladesh in 2024 is 32,666, slightly higher than last year, when it was 32,408.

Historically, Hindus made up about 22 per cent of Bangladesh's population during the 1971 Liberation War, but today, they represent only approximately 8 per cent due to socio-political marginalisation and sporadic violence, intensifying the urgency for political mobilisation.

Bangladesh’s interim government has reassured the minority community of all kinds of measures to ensure that the Pujas are held peacefully, backing it up with increased patrols, armed forces deployments, and the surveillance of puja pandals.

“If anyone disrupts or harasses people at worship halls, we will not spare them. We will bring them under the law and ensure peace,” Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain said recently.

While visiting the Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman also assured the Hindu community of security for the Durga Puja celebrations as he reviewed the security measures in place.

Debnath pointed out that although the community is hopeful of organising the Puja in a peaceful situation, he wondered whether similar steps will be taken by the administration to ensure safety throughout the year.

“The government is taking proactive steps, but why only for these five days? Why not for the remaining 360 days? Hindus are very much citizens of Bangladesh and should live without fear and intimidation,” he said.