Durgapuja stopped at Shankhanidhi Temple in Dhaka. Attacks on Durgapuja in many places in Bangladesh by Jihadi elements.

Hindus denied with Durga Puja at Sankhanidhi Premises in Dhaka. Reports of attacks on Durga Puja coming from various parts of Islamic Bangladesh.

Upasana Das | HENB | Dhaka | Oct 13, 2021:: When the Bangladesh Nation is celebrating Durgapuja as the biggest festival for Bengali Hindus, the capital city Dhaka has witnessed a violation of rights of worship for minority Hindus. The local Hindus could not worship Devi Durga at the historic Sankhannidhi Radha Govind Jiu Temple on Tipu Sultan Road in Dhaka.

History tells us the 100 yrs old Shankhanidhi Premises built in 1921 by two Hindu merchant brothers, Lal Mohan Saha and Gour Nitai Saha, which was famous for its festivity of all Hindu celebration ranging Dol, Durgotsav, Deepavali and so on.

But, the scourge of partition in 1947 and in the violent anti Hindu turn during the liberation war in 1971, many Hindus compelled to leave their homeland in East Bengal (the erstwhile East Pakistan and now Islamic Bangladesh).

In such a turn the original Hindu owners of Sankhanidhi Premises left the country and the Muslims hooligans gradually used to encroach the building step by step. All the Hindu residents of the building were driven out and even the Radha Govind Jiu Temple in Sakhanidhi premises kept locked and key. In these circumstances all the Temple worship and Hindu festivals were stopped by the Muslim miscreants.

The Radha Govind Jiu Temple Trust and Hindu Math-Mandir Uddhar Samity (Monastery-Temple Reclaim Foundation) have been trying to get possession of the Radha Govind Jiu Temple and to start the Durga Puja in Sankhanidhi Premises for last 15 years.

But, as per a report of Daily Star dt 25.4.2007, the whole Sankhanidhi bulding was turned as a garage and motor workshop by local Muslims forcefully. Though, the building was declared as Heritage Building by Bangladesh Govt, the two third portion of the building was leased by ADC (Revenue), Dhaka to three Muslims named Sujon Sattar, ASM Khaled and  Kanchan Ibrahim Dey on Feb 2000 and one third portion of the building was occupied by Bangladesh Engineering Shilpo Malik Samity. The members of this association had allegiance to the BNP once upon a time, but now they are very much close to ruling party Awami League.

This year when the local Hindus tried to perform Durga Puja in the very Sankhanidhi Premises on Maha Sasthi (Oct 11), local Muslim radicals did not allow the worship anyway. Not only that police reached in the spot and roughed up the Hindu devotees and attacked on Sajan Kumar Mishra, the Central General Secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Parishad.

The protesting devotees started a sit-in demonstration with the idols of Devi Durga and other deities in the street near Sankhanidhi Premises and tried to arrange worship even in the street where they gathered in good numbers.

Seeing the gravity of protest government arranged a temporary place to worship in front of Baldha Garden in the same Tipu Sultan Road.  The idols were transferred there. This has been informed by Bangladesh Hindu Unity Council in Twitter and other social media activists in Facebook.

From a source it is divulged that the Dhaka Police assured the Sankhannidhi Radha Govind Jiu Temple Trust to remove the illegal encroachments in Sankhanidhi Building premises and to reopen the Radha Govind Jiu Temple at least within this year.

More bad news from different parts Bangladesh came into by this time.

1. Jihadi attack on Durgapuja at Somaya Pukur Par, Firingi bazar, Chattagram (10.10.2021)
2. Armed Jihadis attacked the Durga Puja at Chattagram Chakbazar Karunamoyee Kali Temple during Sandhy Aarti. (12.10.2021)
3. At Kumilla Nanua Dighirpar, Islamic radical placed a Quran in the feet of deity to create a boil over the situation and ultimately smashed the puja and threw the deities in the water. (13.10.2021)
4.  The Radical Islamists attacked the Durgapuja pandal at Banshkhali (Paschim Chambal Bangla Bazar area)  in Chattagram and destroyed the Durga idols. (13.10.2021)
5. Jihadi attack on Durgapuja at Beiltali, Chandaish, Chattagram (13.10.2021)
6. Jihadi attack on Durgapuja at Mankasha, Bindapara, Shibganj in Chapainababganj (13.10.2021)
7. Jihadi attack on Durgapuja at Shilpara, Barbagia Union, Coxbazar (13.10.2021)
8. Jihadi attack on Durgapuja at Kaludanga, Ulipur, Kurigram (13.10.2021)
9. Jihadi attack on Durgapuja at Sarkarhat, Hathajari, Chattagram (13.10.2021)
10. Jihadi attack on Durgapuja at Chandmoni Kali Temple in Kumilla (13.10.2021)…… the list is inconclusive.

Minority Hindus in Bangladesh are in fear, anxiety and torture even in their greatest festivity in Durga Puja.