Bangladesh Durga Puja Events Disrupted, Theft At Kali Temple, Hindu Family’s House Set On Fire | Exclusive

Amid the unrest in Bangladesh, two incidents of disruption caused to Durga Puja celebrations, theft at a Kali temple and arson at a Hindu house have come to the fore. The Indian government has insisted on the need to stop these attacks, said sources.

LOCALS’ VERSION OF DURGA PUJA DISRUPTIONS, ATTACK ON HINDU HOUSE

• In the first incident, Muslim youths forcefully performed an Islamic revolutionary song on the stage of Durga Puja festival celebration programme organised by JM Sen Hall of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Locals say this was unacceptable, but the government made no attempts to stop it. Later, thousands of Hindus gathered in Chittagong’s JM Sen Hall Durga Puja festival to protest the performance and demanded punishment for the perpetrators.
• In another incident, devotees were not allowed to do Durga idol puja. They were forced to carry out the celebration without decoration or lights, with just a printed photo of Durga and ghat puja. A police officer told the local media that in one of the arrested accused told them they don’t like murti puja and it was against Islam and brings bad luck. The accused told the Hindus to come to his place and gave them the option of accepting Islam.
• In the third incident, a theft was reported at the famous Kali Mata temple of Satkhira district. A gold ornament was stolen from Jessoraswari Kali Mata temple, which was gifted by Indian PM Narendra Modi. The police has launched an investigation based on the CCTV footage.
• In the fourth incident, on Thursday night, a group of extremist Muslims set fire to a Hindu house near Aziz Fazilpur Tulatuli. According to police investigations, they have found no reason behind the attacks and arson.

INDIAN GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE

According to top sources, the Indian government has responded strongly as it is disturbed deeply by the stealing of the Maa Kali crown. “The ⁠High Commission in Dhaka is in touch with the Bangladesh authorities. The Bangladesh law enforcement authorities have been urged to investigate the incident, recover the stolen article and bring the guilty to book,” said sources.

Sources said the government also feels that the attacks, on a daily basis, need to stop urgently. “The Bangladesh government’s intent should be clear. They should respond to these attacks. ⁠Only spot arrests are happening in such cases, but nobody is facing serious charges,” sources said.