Durga Puja festivities in Bangladesh: Keep sound systems off during namaz and azan, interim govt says

The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh has advised Durga Puja committees to keep musical instruments and sound systems off during azan and namaz, Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune reported.

The statement by Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury comes after a meeting was held over law and order ahead of the Durga Puja festivities in the country.

Chowdhury Tuesday said that measures will be taken to facilitate celebrations without any hindrance and “prevent evil activities of miscreants”. “We have discussed how to ensure round-the-clock security at the puja mandaps,” he added. The interim government has decided to recruit volunteers to maintain security.

Chowdhury also stated that they would request people to refrain from the crossing the border to see the Puja festivities. “During the Puja, people travel back and forth, people from this side go to see the Puja on the other side (of the border), and people from the other side come here to see the Puja. I have requested everyone to organise good puja mandaps in the border areas this time so that our people don’t have to go to the other side to see the Puja, and people from the other side don’t have to come here,” Bengali daily Prothom Alo quoted the Home Affairs Adviser as saying.

Concerns were raised over the safety of Hindus following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, which came after violent protests. As many as 205 incidents of attacks on members of Hindu community were recorded in a week after the fall of the Hasina government, The Indian Express had reported.

Yunus took charge as the chief adviser of the interim government after Hasina fled. In a statement on Wednesday, Yunus urged everyone to maintain communal harmony in the country.

“We are a country of communal harmony. None of you must do anything in any way which can affect religious harmony,” Yunus said.

On August 16, in a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yunus had assured that the interim government would “prioritise protection, safety and security of Hindus and all minority groups in Bangladesh”.

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