The newly formed interim government in Bangladesh has reportedly requested the Hindu community to suspend Durga Puja activities, particularly music, during azaan and namaz.Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury stated that puja committees have been instructed to turn off musical instruments and sound systems during these times, and they have agreed to comply.“Such activities need to cease during offering namaz, and the pause will have to be followed from five minutes prior to azaan,” Chowdhury was quoted as saying by The Times of India on Tuesday.Though the number of puja mandaps was 33,431 last year, the figure is expected to exceed this year, according to Chowdhury, who cited the Puja Celebration Parishad. He noted that discussions had been held on ensuring round-the-clock security at puja mandaps. Measures will be implemented to facilitate the celebration of puja without any hindrance and to prevent the “evil activities” of miscreants, said The Times of India.Meanwhile, in his speech to the nation on Wednesday evening, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus emphasised that Bangladesh is a nation of communal harmony and declared that no one should engage in actions that disrupt religious harmony.Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain warned that those who disrupt or harass people at worship halls will be dealt with severely under the law. He assured that the authorities would ensure peace and security. During a visit to the Prematli Gaurang Bari Kalimandir in Godagaat Rajshahi district, Hossain encouraged the Hindu community to celebrate their festivals with enthusiasm and religious fervour, and promised that no one would be allowed to harm their temples, as reported by The Dhaka Tribune.He also stated that if there were fears of attacks on temples, no criminals would succeed. Local people, including madrasa students, had been engaged to take turns guarding the temples. Hossain asserted that the interim government aimed to transform Bangladesh into a state free of discrimination and sectarianism, and that no one would stop the celebrations of their religious festivals.Hindus, who represented 22 per cent of Bangladesh’s population during the 1971 Liberation War, now make up approximately 8 per cent of the current 170 million people.Earlier in August, the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance said that the minority Hindu community faced attacks and threats in 278 locations across 48 districts since the fall of the Hasina-led government and termed it as an “assault on the Hindu religion.”
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