India reacts 'sharply' to attacks on Durga Puja pandals in Bangladesh: 'Systematic pattern of desecration...'

The development comes a day after it was discovered that a hand-crafted golden mukut (crown) gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stolen from a Hindu temple in Bangladesh's southwestern Satkhira district amid Durga Puja celebrations, a theft over which India expressed concern.

New Delhi: India on Saturday reacted sharply to the recent attacks on the Durga Puja Mandap and damage to Hindu temples in Bangladesh. "We have noted with serious concern the attack on a Puja mandap in Tantibazar, Dhaka and the theft at the revered Jeshoreshwari Kali temple at Satkhira. These are deplorable events," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement released on October 12.

Further, the ministry has termed the attacks "deplorable events" and underscored that the recent episodes of aggression have a systematic pattern of desecration and damage to temples and deities. "We 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," it added. Bangladesh witnessed about 35 untoward incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations across the country this month, Dhaka Police said.

The development comes a day after it was discovered that a hand-crafted golden mukut (crown) gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stolen from a Hindu temple in Bangladesh's southwestern Satkhira district amid Durga Puja celebrations, a theft over which India expressed concern.

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

“Since October 1, 35 incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations have occurred across the country, leading to 11 cases being filed, 24 general diaries (GD) registered, and 17 individuals arrested,” newspaper The Dhaka Tribune said quoting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Moinul Islam. Islam visited the Banani Puja Mandap in Dhaka on Friday after which he told reporters that Durga Puja was being celebrated at over 32,000 mandaps nationwide.

Earlier on Thursday, half a dozen men sang a song calling for Islamic revolution on the stage of a Durga puja mandap at Jatra Mohan Sen Hall in Chattogram, about 250 km southeast of Dhaka, causing widespread outrage, the bdnews24.com said.

On Sunday, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus is expected to visit the centuries-old Dhakeswari national temple, one of the prominent shaktee peeths, in the heart of the national capital.

Earlier last month, with threats from Islamist groups weeks ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations, the interim government's Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain had warned of tough action against those disrupting communal harmony or targeting places of worship during the Hindu festival.

(With inputs from agency)

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