Bangladesh is celebrating Durga Puja under extensive security arrangements, as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir greeted Hindus at home and abroad, stressing communal harmony and equal rights for people of all faiths.
Rahman on Friday urged the Hindu community to celebrate the festival with joy, confidence and without fear, while Alamgir reiterated the government’s commitment to religious freedom and equal rights, the state-run BSS news agency reported. Durga Puja is the largest annual festival of Bangladesh’s minority Hindu community and is celebrated at thousands of temporary and permanent venues across the country. A total of 33,851 puja mandaps have been set up across Bangladesh this year, including 258 in the capital city Dhaka, according to the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad. The number has increased by nearly 1,500 from last year, according to BSS.