B’desh under Islamist influence: Interim Govt urges pause in Durga Puja activities during Azaan, Namaz.

Azaan, Namaz never paused. But, Bangladesh Interim Govt Seeks Pause in Durga Puja During Muslim Prayer Times.

Upendra Bharti | HENB | New Delhi | Sept 12, 2024:: Under the visible influence of the Islamist groups, the interim government of Bangladesh has ‘forced’ the Hindu community in a pretence of ‘request’ to temporarily suspend their Durga Puja-related activities, particularly playing musical instruments, five minutes before the azaan (call to prayer) and during namaaz (prayer). ‘These activities must cease during namaaz and the pause must be observed from five minutes before the azaan,’ said Lt. Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Home Affairs Adviser, on Tuesday, ahead of Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community.

However, in recent times, Bangladesh has not experienced any situations where the beats of drums in temples or the sounds of sankirtan have been allowed to coincide with Azaan or Namaz, in order to promote interfaith harmony. Instead, Hindus have often been restricted from performing their religious activities during Muslim prayer times, highlighting an imbalance in the accommodation of religious practices in the country.

The imposition of restrictions during Durga Puja is not a recent development, but rather a continuation of a disturbing trend. Hindus in Bangladesh have been facing discrimination and erosion of their religious rights since 2019, with successive years witnessing increasing curbs on their freedom to practice their faith..

According to the Home Affairs Adviser, puja committees have been requested to silence musical instruments and sound systems during azaan and namaz, and they have agreed to comply. This year, a total of 32,666 puja mandaps (pandals) (765 less than last year) will be set up across the country, with 157 in Dhaka South City Corporation and 88 in Dhaka North City Corporation. Although the number of puja mandaps was 33,431 last year, the Puja Celebration Parishad aims to surpass that number this year, according to Chowdhury. He also mentioned that discussions have been held on providing round-the-clock security at puja mandaps. Measures will be taken to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted celebration of puja, while also preventing any potential mischievous activities,” he added.

In a press conference, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury claimed that the Hindu representatives agreed to the government’s proposal. According to the administration, the decision is being made unnecessarily.

It was also decided in the meeting that volunteers will be deployed in the puja mandap. They will take turns guarding the pavilion. Many people in the Hindu society of Bangladesh do not consider this decision to be correct.

They fear that they are trying to use this opportunity to deploy Madrasa and Jamaat people, who do not believe in idol worship. As a result, there is a danger of unrest. Until now, only the people of the puja committee performed the duties of volunteers. A member of the police or any other security force was with him.

After the decision of the meeting became known, many members of the Hindu society of Bangladesh expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision regarding the recruitment of volunteers. It is known that President Vasudev Dhar and General Secretary Santosh Sharma were present on behalf of the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council in the meeting with the Home Affairs Advisor. Both of them are journalists by profession. On the other hand, President Jayant Kumar Deb and General Secretary Tapashchandra Pal were present on behalf of the Dhaka Metropolitan Public Puja Committee.

In his address to the nation on Wednesday evening, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus emphasized, ‘We are a nation built on communal harmony, and no one should engage in any act that disrupts this harmony.’ He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to establishing a democratic Bangladesh, free from the grip of dictatorship. Yunus also warned, ‘No individual should take the law into their own hands. If anyone does so and creates chaos in society, we will undoubtedly bring them to justice.’

However, these claims made by the interim Chief Advisor of Bangladesh are baseless, as he is allegedly running a deep state in collusion with Hefazat and Jamaat elements, depriving Hindu minorities of their religious rights. The recent imposition of a ban on puja activities during azaan and namaz times is a stark example of the erosion of minority rights in the country.

Previously, Hindus in Bangladesh were granted four days of government holidays during Durga Puja. In contrast, Muslims in Bangladesh now enjoy eight days of public holidays, with four days each for Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. However, Hindus are only allocated one day of holiday for Durga Puja. Despite repeated demands from various Hindu organizations for a three-day government holiday during Durga Puja, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. This disparity is a clear denial of the religious rights of minority Hindus in the country

Bangladesh witnessed  havoc attacks on Durgapuja celebrations in 2021 and Hindus for which the then or present Bangladesh Govt  failed to bring any justice for the victims.
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__Inputs from India Today and NTV News.