Dhaka, 04 October (H.S.):

Seven idols being prepared for a Durga Puja pandal at a Hindu temple in Jamurki Paschimpara of Mirzapur upazila in Bangladesh’s Tangail district were vandalised by unidentified miscreants. According to temple authorities and police, the incident occurred sometime between Wednesday night and the early hours of Thursday.

According to The Daily Star, local residents said Durga Puja has been celebrated at the temple for around 85 years under the auspices of the Jamurki Arya Samiti. Preparations for this year’s festivities were underway, with seven idols, including the main idol of Goddess Durga, being crafted. Most of the work had been completed, except for the painting.

Prakash Bakali, president of the Jamurki Arya Samiti, said, “We were at the temple until 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Then we went home. When we returned to the temple in the morning, we found the idols vandalised. We do not know who did this. We have lodged a formal complaint with the police. We want the law-enforcement authorities to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”

Following the incident, Tangail Superintendent of Police Mohammad Shamsul Alam Sarkar and other senior police officials visited the site and assured members of the Hindu community that legal action would be taken against those responsible. Meanwhile, the incident has created a sense of insecurity among members of the local Hindu community.

DEMAND FOR CHINMOY KRISHNA DAS’S RELEASE:

According to a report by News Age Bangladesh, a group of around 100 people staged a protest on Saturday near the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, India, demanding the release of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who has been in custody in Bangladesh since 2024.

The protesters also took out a procession from Sealdah Railway Station to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission under the banners of Vivekananda Mission Seva Pratisthan and the National Citizen Party of India. According to a message from the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, police stopped the procession near the mission and escorted five representatives to the chancery, where the Head of Chancery and the Second Secretary received their memorandum.

The message said that, while submitting the memorandum, the representatives thanked Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for providing additional funds for Durga Puja and extending the holiday period to five days.

The protesters urged the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety and security of Hindu minorities during Durga Puja and in the period following the festival. They also called for justice and the early release of Chinmoy Krishna Das.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar