The Durga Puja this year was held in a festive atmosphere in Bangladesh, and the Hindu community expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for ensuring that.
Security was beefed up in Bangladesh in the wake of last year's violence, especially in Comilla, which had marred the biggest festival of the Hindu community, reports India Today.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the country's longest-serving premier and president of the ruling party Awami League.
She assured community leaders of her unequivocal support for preventing violence during the festival, reads the report.
The Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad thanked the Prime Minister for the peaceful completion of Durga Puja this year.
The organization's president JL Bhowmik and General Secretary Chandranath Poddar thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, reports India Today.
The organization said that without the support of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina such peaceful completion of the Durga Puja was impossible.
Besides, on the eve of Durga Puja, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina extended her greetings to the Hindu community by issuing a message.
She said that Durga Puja is not only a festival of the Hindu community, rather it has turned into a universal festival. The destruction of evil spirits and the worship of truth and beauty are the main features of the Durga Puja festivals.
Noting that Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony since ancient times, the premier said: “We celebrate all religious festivals together being imbued with the motto ‘Religion for individuals, a festival for all in Bangladesh,” reports BSS.
Despite the risk of attacks by radical forces, Durga Puja was celebrated at a record 32,168 mandaps across Bangladesh this year, India Today reported after an interview with UNB.
Superintendent of Comilla police Md Abdul Mannan warned people against spreading rumors.
On top of that, days ahead of the Durga Puja, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam also warned people against extremists, as some 50 people suspected of being involved with militant organizations went missing, reports India Today.
