In a deeply disturbing development that threatens Bangladesh’s fragile communal harmony, Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, the Home Affairs Adviser to Muhammad Yunus, made highly objectionable remarks about the upcoming Sharadiya Durga Puja – the biggest religious festival of the country’s Hindu community.
On September 8, during a preparatory meeting for Durga Puja, Chowdhury issued what he termed an “order” and declared before journalists: “There must not be any gathering for alcohol or cannabis during Durga Puja.”
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Such a statement, by directly linking Bangladesh’s most revered Hindu festival with alcohol and drugs, is not only insulting to the Hindu community but also potentially dangerous. Devotees and rights activists alike are questioning: Is Durga Puja a festival of alcohol and cannabis?
A repeat of past communal provocations
This is not the first time such hateful rhetoric has been directed at Durga Puja. During Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, Awami League Member of Parliament Bahar Uddin Bahar notoriously described Durga Puja as a “liquor festival.” Following the fall of the Hasina regime last year, Bahar and his daughter Suchona fled to India, where they remain in exile, according to a report by The Weekly Blitz.
By echoing similarly offensive language, Yunus’s adviser appears to be continuing a dangerous pattern of demeaning Hindu religious practices under the guise of “law and order.”
Fuel for extremist violence
Even more worrying is the broader implication of Chowdhury’s words. By labelling Durga Puja gatherings as potential sites for drug abuse, the Yunus regime risks providing justification for radical Islamist groups – such as the so-called “Touhidi Janata” – to target Puja celebrations with false accusations.
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Observers fear that such rhetoric could serve as a green signal for mob violence:
-Attacks on Puja mandaps under the pretext of “stopping drug use”,
-Harassment of devotees by mobs branding them as “Awami League supporters” or “agents of fascism,”
-Vandalism, arson, and even physical assaults during Puja celebrations across the country.
With over 33,000 Puja mandaps scheduled nationwide this year, even a single incident could trigger a chain reaction of communal violence.
Authoritarian control over Hindu rituals
Chowdhury also went further, announcing new restrictions on Puja processions in Dhaka, insisting that idols must be immersed “in a strict line, in order, one after another.” While ostensibly framed as administrative regulation, critics argue that such measures are designed to control and humiliate the Hindu community, reducing their religious freedom under Yunus’s authoritarian administration.
A warning sign of what lies ahead
Religious leaders and civil society members have condemned Chowdhury’s statement, calling it a deliberate insult to the country’s Hindu citizens and a calculated attempt to stoke communal unrest.
At a time when Bangladesh desperately needs interfaith solidarity and unity, the Yunus regime appears to be playing with fire. By weaponising religious festivals and imposing degrading narratives, it risks plunging the nation into a new wave of communal bloodshed.
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Bangladesh’s Hindu community, already vulnerable due to decades of marginalisation and targeted violence, is rightfully alarmed. Unless such rhetoric is immediately condemned and withdrawn, this year’s Durga Puja could tragically become a flashpoint for mob violence, intimidation, and widespread persecution – with the blame resting squarely on the shoulders of Muhammad Yunus and his advisers.
This alarming episode is not an isolated slip of the tongue – it is a calculated provocation. When a top adviser to Muhammad Yunus openly equates Durga Puja with drugs and alcohol, it is not just an insult to Bangladesh’s Hindu citizens, but also a dangerous attempt to stigmatise and delegitimise their religious practices. History has shown us, time and again, that such toxic rhetoric often precedes communal attacks, forced displacement, and systematic persecution.
If the international community, human rights defenders, and neighbouring India remain silent now, Bangladesh’s Hindu population could once again find itself at the mercy of organised mobs, emboldened by the tacit approval of the ruling elite. The Yunus regime must be held accountable before this incendiary narrative turns into bloodshed on the ground.
The government of India, as the guardian of millions of Hindus worldwide and a close neighbour, cannot afford to look away. Likewise, global institutions that champion minority rights and religious freedom must recognise the looming threat of communal violence in Bangladesh.
This is a decisive moment. Either the world speaks out now, demanding dignity and protection for Bangladesh’s Hindus, or it risks watching in silence as the country slides further into the abyss of religious bigotry and state-sponsored intimidation. The lives, faith, and future of millions are at stake.
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