Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Monday said no gathering involving alcohol or drugs will be allowed during the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations.
“During Puja, fairs are often arranged around mandaps where alcohol and drugs are consumed. This year, such fairs will not be permitted, and gatherings involving alcohol or cannabis will be strictly prohibited,” he told reporters after a meeting on Durga Puja at the Secretariat.
All Puja mandaps will be under round-the-clock surveillance during the festival, with adequate Ansar members deployed at the venues, he said.
Responsibility for mandaps in border areas will be given to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), while Ansar members will be deployed across the country, the adviser added.
On idol immersion, he said idols must be immersed one by one, with proper queues maintained.
This year, there will be 33,000 Puja mandaps across the country.
“Last year, Puja was celebrated peacefully, and this year it will be even more peaceful,” the adviser said.