Durga Puja under police, drone surveillance ‘sad and unfortunate’: Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has described the need to hold Durga Puja celebrations across the country under heavy police security, drone surveillance and the watch of political party activists as “sad and unfortunate”.

It said such arrangements undermine "religious freedom and damage Bangladesh’s international image."

In a statement issued ahead of Durga Puja, the council said the extensive security arrangements reflected an increasingly difficult environment for religious minorities.

It said the situation was restricting the religious freedom of minority Hindu worshippers while seriously calling the country's image into question internationally.

The council also warned of increasing communal violence ahead of the festival, reporting at least 141 incidents involving religious and ethnic minorities between July and September.

According to the council's partial documentation, the incidents included 16 killings, four cases of rape or sexual harassment, and 36 incidents involving attacks on temples, looting, land grabbing and vandalism of religious idols.

It also recorded seven attacks on Indigenous communities, 11 incidents of attacks, looting and vandalism targeting homes and businesses, and 26 cases involving assault, snatching, robbery and physical violence.

The council reported 14 incidents of land or property grabbing, three cases of abduction, death threats or harassment, four cases of extortion and 14 other incidents.

Six people were also arrested over allegations of insulting religion during the three-month period, according to the statement.

The council said communal provocations were becoming more frequent as Durga Puja approached.

It cited an incident at Jagannath University on October 12, when a group of people allegedly used bricks from a temple on the university campus to cook beef khichuri in front of the temple at around 8 PM.

The council described the incident as a deliberate attempt to provoke communal tensions and hurt religious sentiments.

It also expressed concern over the continued circulation of religiously hateful statements on social media, alleging that such content was being used to incite communal hostility.

The council accused the authorities of failing to bring perpetrators to justice, saying the absence of arrests and prosecution had emboldened those responsible.

It warned that continued impunity was encouraging further attacks and provocations against minority communities.