Dhaka police plan extensive security for Bijaya Dashami procession, Durga immersion

Dhaka: Amid random vandalism during Durga Puja celebrations, police on Saturday said it has planned extensive security measure for the Bijaya Dashami procession and idol immersion on Sunday.

Three control rooms have been set up on the route of the procession, three watchtowers have been installed, including at the Wiseghat where immersion will take place and a dog squad, a bomb disposal unit, crime scene team, and SWAT team will be on standby around the clock to ensure a festive and smooth celebration, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said in release.

The five-day Hindu religious festival began with an invocation of Goddess Durga, an occasion called Maha Shasthi on Wednesday. The celebrations would conclude with the immersion of Goddess Durga murtis on Sunday.

A crude bomb was allegedly thrown at a Durga Puja mandap in the Tanti Bazar area of Old Dhaka and although the bomb caught fire, nobody was injured, daily Prothom Alo said, adding, the incident took place on Friday night.

From October 1 onwards till Friday, 17 persons were arrested and about a dozen cases registered after Bangladesh witnessed about 35 untoward incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations, The Dhaka Tribune said quoting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Moinul Islam.

The Daily Start, quoting DMP release, said the proposed route for the immersion procession will begin at Dhakeshwari National Temple.

Earlier in the afternoon, apparently prompted by the latest attack on the Durga Puja mandap, Yunus visited the Dhakeshwari National Temple, one of the prominent shakti peeths, in the old part of the city as against the earlier announced plan of a Sunday visit.

The Daily Start quoted Yunus as saying during a function at the Dhakeshwari temple that the government wants to build Bangladesh in such a way where each and every citizen’s right will be ensured . "During the Durga Puja, law enforcement agencies have done the ‘tough’ task of ensuring public security with sincerity. However, it is a collective failure to seek law enforcement agencies’ support while celebrating an occasion," Yunus said.

Two days ago, there was a theft of a golden crown from a famous Kali temple in southwest Bangladesh.

Describing the incidents of vandalism as deplorable events and flagging that these follow a systematic pattern of desecration of temples and deities in Bangladesh, India call upon the government of Bangladesh to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities and their places of worship, especially during this auspicious festival time.

The minority Hindu population—Hindus constitute just about 8 per cent of the 170 million Bangladesh population have faced regular vandalism of their businesses, and properties and destruction of temples during and since the student-led violence erupted resulting in the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5.