Puja Celebration Council raises certain questions on the Cumilla incident

Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council has raised certain questions regarding the incident at the Durga Puja mandap in Nanua Dighi, Cumilla.

They raised these questions at a press briefing held at the Dhakeswari national temple in the capital city on Friday morning.

General secretary of the council, Nirmal Kumar Chatterjee, presented the key statement at the press briefing on attacks on puja mandaps by communal forces, including arson, vandalisation and killing during Durga Puja.

In the written statement, Nirmal Kumar Chatterjee said, the puja mandap at Nanua Dighi Par in Cumilla is temporary.

He said, from the early hours of 3:00am till 4:00am, the electricity supply to the mandap area had been shut off. He asked whether the reasons behind this power cut was being investigated.

Why did the officer-in-charge (OC) of the police station allow the video to be made after the copy of the Holy Quran was removed from the lap of the Hanuman statue and why was the video made viral?, he asked.

Nirmal Chatterjee said that was a question that loomed large in everyone’s minds.

He went on to say, “I held discussions before Durga Puja with the home minister on 4 October and with the DMP commissioner and the inspector general of police on 6 October. Senior officials or representatives of the various intelligence agencies were present at the very meeting. They all reassured us of security.”

The statement went on to say, starting from Ramu, Cox’ Bazar on 29 September 2012, over the past few years there have been attacks on the homes and businesses of the Hindu community, vandalisation, looting and arson. All parties were part of some of the attacks. There are laws in the country. The common Hindus feel that by not punishing the perpetrators of such crimes, no matter to what religion they belong, a blue print is being designed to evict the Hindus from the country.

The lack of justice or the culture of impunity encourages the miscreants and so communal violence takes place frequently.

The written statement went on to say that due to the blame game of the political parties, the actual criminals get away. This does not bode well for the law and order in the country or for mutual trust.

The press conference demanded compensation for the property damaged in the recent attacks and for full security and protection of the Hindu community. Repair and reconstruction of the damaged temples and homes was demanded at government expense.

Demands were also made to compensate the affected families, provide medical treatment to the injured and to provide government jobs to members of the families of those who were killed.

The coming 4 November marks Shyama puja and Diwali festivals. In the backdrop of the recent incidents, certain programmes were announced for those pujas. Nirmal Chatterjee announced abstention from celebrating Shyama Puja and Diwali this year. However, a programme was announced for Pratima Puja.

The press briefing was presided over by Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council president Milan Kanti Dutta.

He said, "We are given many promises, but these are not kept. The blame game of the political parties makes the situation worse."

Present at the press conference were former president of the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council, Kajal Debnath, Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council advisor Jayanta Sen, the city celebration council city committee president Shailen Majumdar, general secretary Kishore Mandal and others.