Local administration suspends Kundubari Mela due to objections

Kalkini upazila administration has stopped Kundubarir Mela, an annual fair marking Diwali and Kali Puja, in the face of objection from some locals. The fair has a tradition of almost two and a half centuries.

Akbar Hossain Sardar, who obtained the lease of the fair, told Prothom Alo, “The Kundubari Mela has been organised for around 250 years. None raised any objection. But this time some leaders of Islami Andolon and representatives of Alems (religious clerics) raised some objections to the administration in writing. However, they came to me and said Muslims won’t go to the Hindu fair and that’s why it cannot be organised. They asked me not to hold the fair. I have already obtained the lease of the fair from pourashava and allocated space to several hundred traders who have completed all preparations by buying goods to sell at the fair on loans. They will suffer heavily if the fair does not take place. I will also incur a big loss.”

Administration, organisers and locals said Diwali and Kali Puja, two major religious festivals of the Hindu community, will be celebrated on 31 October. The fair is organised in the Bhurghata area in Madaripur’s Kalkini marking the festivals. Although the fair has been celebrated for 250 years, 12 local persons raised nine objections and demanded the administration bar the fair. In the wake of the situation, the Kalkini pourashava and the upazila administration held a meeting on Thursday and decided to stop the fair this year.

The same source said that Awami League leader Akbar Hossain Sardar got the lease for Tk 80,500 on 1 April. Due to the political changeover, a group demanded cancellation of the lease to the Awami League leader first. As they failed, they later raised the demand to stop the fair itself. Then the administration stopped the fair under pressure.

Bhurghata Kundubari Kali Puja Udjapan Committee’s general secretary Bimal Kundu told Prothom Alo that the administration has stopped the fair due to pressure from certain people without any consultation. The decision stunned the Hindu community.

Uttam Kumar Das, upazila nirbahi officer of Kalkini, told Prothom Alo that some locals cited some problems and wrote to the administration to stop it. The administration decided to suspend the fair for this year to avoid any untoward situation.

Golam Hossain, Kalkini central mosque’s imam and one of the 12 who lodged a complaint to the administration, “We have placed the complaints of the local people.”

Madaripur’s deputy commissioner Yasmin Akter told Prothom Alo, “Fair is part of our culture. And the district administration is not in favor of stopping the Kundubari Mela due to its history. We will try to solve the issue by meeting those who raised objections regarding the fair.”