In recent years, from the preparation period of Durga Puja to the worship period, attacks on the houses and places of prayer of religious minorities have become regular, which is very sad. According to the data collected, 15 incidents of idol vandalism took place from January to July 2023. The leaders of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad said that it is not possible to prevent this incident due to the fact that there is no trial of all these incidents.
On September 17, miscreants attacked and vandalized a nearly two hundred year old temple in Sherpur, Bogra, vandalized it and looted the worship equipment including donation boxes. 10 to 12 persons came and attacked the temple during puja. Besides, efforts are on to evacuate the temple. There are also allegations that pilgrims going to perform daily prayers are being stopped.
On September 19, in Tambulkhana Bazar of Kaijuri Union of Faridpur Sadar Upazila, in the dark of night, various idols, including the Durga idol of the public temple, were vandalized and an attack was made during puja-archana in a temple.
Locals said that on the occasion of upcoming Durga Puja, clay work was going on to make idols in Faridpur. Earlier, in the year 2021 too, the Kali idol of this temple was vandalized in the dark of night.
Ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja, local residents have urged the administration to take effective measures to ensure the safety of the citizens of the minority communities across the country and ensure that they can celebrate the puja in a peaceful environment.
