The Hindu community in Bangladesh has been "urged" by the interim government of the country to not play any musical instruments and halt their Durga puja-related activities five minutes before the azaan and during namaaz.
"Such activities need to cease during offering namaaz, and the pause will have to be followed from five minutes prior to azaan," The Times of India quoted home affairs adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury as saying. The adviser added that the Hindu committees have agreed to the proposal.
Durga puja will be celebrated from October 9 to 13 and more number of puja pandals will reportedly be built this year in Bangladesh compared to 2023.
"We've discussed how to ensure round-the-clock security at puja mandaps," Chowdhury was quoted as saying.
This comes even as the interim government had warned potential troublemakers, pledging tough action against those disrupting communal harmony or targeting places of worship during the Hindu festival.
“If anyone disrupts or harasses people at worship halls, we will not spare them. We will bring them under the law and ensure peace,” Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain said during a visit to the Prematli Gaurang Bari Kalimandir in Godagari at Rajshahi district.
He had urged members of the Hindu community to celebrate their festivals with enthusiasm and religious fervour and assured them that no one would be allowed to harm their temples, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
“If you fear attacks on your temples, be assured that no criminals will succeed. We have engaged local people, including madrasa students, to take turns guarding the temples. No one will stop us from celebrating our religious festivals,” Hossain said, asserting that the interim government wants to transform Bangladesh into a state free of discrimination and sectarianism.
Last month, thousands of Hindus staged protest rallies in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka and the northeastern port city of Chattogram, demanding protection.
The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance in August said 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”.
Hindus, who made up 22 per cent of Bangladesh's population at the time of the 1971 Liberation War, now constitute about 8 per cent of 170 million.
(With PTI inputs)
Published 12 September 2024, 05:33 IST