The interim government has decided to intensify patrol of the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) members as well as increase detective monitoring to keep the situation normal during the upcoming Sharadiya Durga Puja. We believe this to be a timely decision.
The home ministry on Wednesday issued a cluster of guidelines for the field administration and the law enforcement agencies mentioning what steps will be taken to keep the law and order situation under control during the upcoming Durga puja.
An office memo issued from the political wing-2 of public security division under the home ministry stated to be prepared for preventing any untoward incident and to take effective action together with everyone concerned as soon as there’s an untoward incident.
It also stated that the respective Puja celebration committees will be asked to appoint necessary number of volunteers and guard (at least three people during day and four at night) for patrolling the Puja Mandaps as well as initiatives will be taken to install CCTV cameras in every Puja mandap round the clock.
In future we have to create such an environment, where no additional security would be needed for the celebration of the religious festival of any community.
It has also been stated in that to ensure deployment of adequate number of police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Ansar-VDP, RAB and members of other forces on the occasion of the Puja celebration.
The decision to form a monitoring committee including dignitaries from different levels of the society as well as students and the public alongside followers of the Hindu religion for the security of the Puja Mandaps is also a good decision. With this people from all walks of life can be included in the security duty.
However, the matter of concern is that often there remains a gap between the government taking a decision and implementing it. Iit is not unusual for some of those who have been given with the responsibility of implementing the decision, to have a lack of sincerity.
This is the first Durga Puja celebration during the regime of the interim government. So, the people concerned have to remain extra alert and vigilant on this matter.
Adviser for home affairs, Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has expressed hopes that the Durga Puja celebration would be held in the best possible and uninterrupted environment this year.
People from all walks of life including the followers of the Hindu religion also hold the same expectations. Alongside the administration, an active support from students, political parties, leaders-activists of social organisations is also essential in this case.
When there were incidents of communal attacks on the minority communities in different places after 5 August, leaders and activists of the active political parties had come forward to their protection then. That’s definitely a positive aspect.
In future we have to create such an environment, where no additional security would be needed for the celebration of the religious festival of any community. In chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus’ words the people of Bangladesh wants to live indeed like the members of one single family.
Sharadiya Durga Puja is the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community. And, everyone has to perform their duties from their own respective positions in this regard so that this festival is celebrated in an uninterrupted and peaceful environment. An eye must be kept towards the fact that no one can destroy the communal harmony by spreading misinformation using the social media.
Many such untoward incidents have been orchestrated in the past spreading misinformation just like that. During the Durga Puja celebration of 2022, there were incidents of attacks and violence on the minority communities in Cumilla. Those who had plotted the crime could not be brought to justice till the date and that’s extremely unfortunate.
This is the first Durga Puja celebration during the regime of the interim government. So, the people concerned have to remain extra alert and vigilant on this matter. The fact that Bangladesh is a country with communal harmony should not be mere words only but has to be proved in action also.