Just a day after Hindu groups in Bangladesh apprehended attacks and harassment on Durga puja this year and made several demands with the interim govt, the harassment has already started. In Khulna, Islamists have threatened Hindu temples that they will not be allowed to organise Durga Puja if they don’t pay Tk 5 lakh.
Several Hindu temples in Khulna district has received anonymous letters threatening that they will not be allowed to celebrate Durga Puja if they don’t make the payment. The letters given to puja celebration committees associated with several temples said that if they don’t make the payment, there will be severe consequences.
The letter sent by post said that if they talk about this to administration or media, they will be beheaded. It also said that if the money is not paid, the recipient’s fate will be like what happened with Hanif’s project.
Notably, after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub Ul Alam Hanif’s house was looted for several days.
The Bengali letter mentioned in the top, “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem”. After that it is addressed to “President/General Secretary”, with and underlined blank space to write the name of the temple by hand, followed by printed words “Puja Mandir”
The text of the letter said, “Listen, if you want to perform Durga Puja in 2024, you will have to pay a contribution of five lakh taka from each temple. Otherwise, you will not be able to organise puja in any way. As was done in Hanif’s project, your fate will be same. Keep all the money ready within a week. Give the money in a place in Kalinagar market as you will be told. Will inform you of the place later. If you tell these things to the administration, journalists or anyone else, remember that you will be cut like taro stem. Your family will also not be spared. Tell all other nearby temples secretly as we don’t know the names of all temples. There will be no benefit in the administration and the army tricking us, the money will have to be paid. In the name of Allah, if we don’t get money, we will cut you into pieces. We are watching you”
The letter is dated 7 September 2024.
The letters started coming to presidents and general secretaries of various Hindu temples and Puja Committees on Wednesday, raising concerns among the Hindu community in the Muslim-majority nation which has seen the rise of fundamental Islamists after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government.
The same computer-printed letter has been sent to various temples in yellow envelopes.
On Friday, four different temples in Khulna approached the Dakop police station, and accordingly, a general diary entry was made. Officer-in-Charge Sirajul Islam said, ‘GD was made from four temples on Friday regarding that flyer. We are investigating. Efforts are being made to protect the temple from our side. We are patrolling regularly from the police station along with the army team. The village police and union police officers are on round-the-clock patrol.
The general secretary of one of the temples said that after receiving the letter, they are very anxious and concerned about the matter. After receiving the letter on Wednesday, they held a meeting with the people in the area.
Many people in the meeting said that it would be better to not organise Puja this year. But at last, they decided to go with the rituals and celebrations together. After that, vigil in the area has been increased.
However, as per reports, some temple committees have decided to not organise Durga Puja due to the threat, while some others have decided to keep it low key.
Shekhar Chandra Goldar, President of the Kamarkhola Sarvajanin Durga Puja Celebration Committee of Dakop said that they have decided to not organise puja in view of the threat letter. He told Prothom Alo, ‘There was a discussion going on to do the puja on a very small scale instead of grandiose puja this year. But after receiving such letters, our members are no longer interested. This year we have to stop the puja.’
