Durga Puja begins
Observance and festivity of Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community in Bangladesh, began peacefully at over 30,000 puja pavilions in the country with a festive mood yesterday.
A team of Mohanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee led by Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad leader Kajal Debnath met President Abdul Hamid at Bangabaghan yesterday and extended to the president the greetings of Durga Puja. Meanwhile, law enforcing agencies have taken extra measures maintain security and to avoid any untoward situation. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah said around 6,000 police members will remain deployed at different puja pavilions in the capital to maintain security. Members of Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) and other law enforcing agencies will also remain vigilant over the observance of Durga Puja, especially on October 23 (Friday) when the devotees will bid farewell to Goddess Durga and take her idol for immersion in the rivers. Police will remain extra cautious as the immersion of idols of Goddess Durga and the Tazia procession of the Shiite Muslim community on Holy Ashra falls on the same day this year, said the DMP commissioner. In separate messages, President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, leader of the opposition Begum Raushan Ershad and BNP chief Khaldea Zia conveyed greetings to the members of the countrys Hindu community marking the festival. The president, the prime minister hoped that the thousand-year old bond of communal harmony of Bangalees would be retained with the united effort of all to create a Sonar Bangla, as envisaged by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
