President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said every citizen has equal rights in the state regardless of religious identity, stressing that these rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and must be protected.

“Your slogan here is ‘Religion is individual, festivals are for all’. We would like to add to it: ‘Religion is individual, the state belongs to all’,” he said at an exchange of views after visiting Dhakeshwari Temple in the capital on Saturday afternoon on the occasion of Durga Puja.

He said Bangladesh is an exceptional example of communal harmony, with people of different faiths living together in the region for centuries.

“This remarkable unity and harmony can always be found in our literature, culture and arts,” he said.

The president urged people to remain alert against those seeking to create divisions in society and exploit them for their own interests, warning that such attempts could undermine the longstanding communal harmony.

He said people of different faiths had grown up together in Bangladesh since before independence and fought shoulder to shoulder during the 1971 Liberation War, united by the vision of building a non-communal country.

“We remain committed to that vision and are prepared to pay any price to protect it,” he said.

Describing the people of Bangladesh as generally moderate and opposed to extremism, the president said this tradition must be preserved.

He regretted that repeated attempts are being made to undermine communal harmony, while claims that religious harmony is deteriorating in Bangladesh are being widely publicised at home and abroad.

However, people from all communities have demonstrated that they could practise their respective religions peacefully and with dignity, he said.

Mirza Fakhrul said the country is going through a transition, moving away from a deeply undemocratic situation towards building a democratic state.

He called on everyone to exercise patience and help advance the process.

The president reiterated his hope that Durga Puja would be celebrated peacefully and safely under all circumstances.

He also assured members of the Hindu community of appropriate cooperation in addressing their various demands.

Extending his greetings on the occasion, he said, “I wish you all a happy Sharadiya Durga Puja.”

Bijon Kanti Sarkar, the prime minister’s special assistant (with the rank of state minister) for Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and ethnic minority affairs, also spoke at the event, along with the president and general secretary of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and the president of the Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee.

Leaders of the Hindu community and various puja celebration committees were present.

Earlier, the president visited the temple’s puja mandap after arriving at the premises and watched a cultural programme.