Sharadiya Durga Puja is the largest religious festival for Hindus in Bangladesh. However, before the festivities begin, a disturbing pattern has emerged across the country: radical Muslims are vandalising, looting and torching the puja pavilions.
In the last few days, multiple incidents of attacks on temples and puja pavilions were reported in four districts: Gaibandha, Kushtia, Netrokona, and Gazipur.
Activists say that these acts not only spoil the joy of devotees but also severely undermine communal harmony. Behind these acts lies a calculated conspiracy by fundamentalist elements aiming to tarnish this religious festival. Unfortunately, the failure of the administration to take proactive measures and maintain proper security has emboldened the perpetrators. Despite repeated incidents, authorities have been unable to ensure adequate protection in advance, creating widespread frustration among the public.
The vandalism of Durga idols during Sharadiya Durga Puja is not merely a law-and-order issue; it is a planned assault on Bangladeshโs communal harmony and cultural heritage. It is therefore imperative that the administration take responsible action and ensure strict punishment for the fundamentalist perpetrators.
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Earlier, the home adviser came under severe criticism for linking the Durga Puja festivities with alcohol and marijuana.
Activists have urged Home Adviser Lt. Gen. (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury to apologise for his abusive comment on the Durga Puja festival and withdraw his statement. By hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus, the adviser has exposed his communal mindset in front of the people.
They blame the Yunus regime for not giving any importance to incidents related to communal violence, and denying the allegations as false, exaggerated, and fabricated, while giving impunity to the perpetrators. Hence, the minorities started feeling insecure.
The Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad (BHBCOP) and the Minority Unity Front have documented the incidents of attacks on minorities.
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In July, the BHBCOP reported a total of 2,442 incidents of violence against religious and ethnic minorities that occurred in 330 days, from August 4 to June 30. The highest number of incidents of violence took place from August 4 to August 20 of last year, with 2,100 attacks on houses, business establishments, and temples.
Part of a blueprint
The radical Islamists, also known as Touhidi Janata, have been enjoying impunity for hundreds of attacks since the collapse of the secularist Awam League government. Consequently, attacks on shrines, temples, churches, and households of minority communities will persist as part of the plan.
In the interim, jihadists affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islam, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Qawmi madrasa-based platform Hefazat-e-Islam, and banned militant groups such as Ansar al-Islam, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Jamaโatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), and Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) have been distributing hatred toward India and training fighters to engage in jihad in West Bengal and the Seven Sisters.
The jihadists in India and Myanmar are openly receiving support from Al-Qaeda operatives Jasimuddin Rahmani, Syed Zia, and a number of militants who have walked out of jail on bail since last year. This is due to the fact that they have obtained a significant number of weapons that were looted from police stations and those that were transported from Pakistan.
Sources say the Bangladeshi jihadists are now planning attacks with bombs and guns across Bangladesh during the Durga Puja, starting September 28, when hundreds of thousands of people join the festivities.
In some selected pavilions, the Touhidi Janata will be present in police uniform and will be looking for leaders and workers of the Awami League. These fake police members will allow mobs to launch attacks on the puja venues to stir tension.
During the attacks, officials of the local army camps and police stations will lend support to the perpetrators or remain onlookers, as seen in many events since last year.
For the attacks in Indiaโs West Bengal and the Seven Sisters, the Bangladeshi jihadists are working in collusion with the Pakistani militant groups, like Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the ISI-backed military officers.
While LeT is linked to Ansar al-Islam and Hefazat-e-Islam, the TTP is closely working with the Jamaโatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya.
Sources say trained members of the suicide squads will enter India via the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Nepal, where the highly sophisticated bombs are being made in hidden camps along the border areas. The covert operatives of JMB, Ansar al-Islam, LeT and TTP, who are active in West Bengal and the Seven Sisters, are in the squads.
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