Islamic Groups Demand No Durga Puja Holiday, Ban on Idol Worship & Immersions in Bangladesh  

Ahead of the Durga Puja, radical Islamic groups have warned Bangladesh’s Hindu minority to not openly celebrate the festival and engage in any idol worship or immersion, reported India Today.

Insaf Keemkari Chhatra-Janta, a radical Islamic group, staged a protest in Dhaka’s sector 13 against the use of a playground by the Hindu community for the Durga Puja celebrations.

The area had been used for Durga Puja by the community for many years.

In the midst of continuing attacks on religious minorities, several Islamic groups have called for restrictions on celebrating the Hindu festival of Durga Puja.

Holding up placards in Bangla that read “no worship anywhere by closing roads, no pollution to water by idol immersion, no worship to idols”, the protesting group presented a 16-point list of demands citing environmental damage, use of government funds for religious activity and disruption as reasons to stop celebrating Durga Puja.

One of their issues was that Durga Puja had been made a national holiday despite Hindus only making up two per cent of the population. They claimed that the festival caused a nuisance for the Muslim majority and also stated that Muslims should not support such festivals for religious reasons.

Their demands also included a call to remove temples “built by occupying many special lands in Bangladesh”, reported India Today. Another demand asks all temples to have anti-India banners and slogans for Hindu citizens to prove their loyalty to Bangladesh and their anti-India sentiments.

In Khulna, Hindu citizens told India Today that they were being asked to pay 5 lakh Bangladeshi taka to celebrate Durga Puja.