Adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said investigations are underway into incidents where beards were added to the faces of “Asur” (demon) idols during this year’s Durga Puja across the country.
Speaking to reporters at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday after a core committee meeting on law and order at the ministry, the adviser said a total of 793 puja pandals were affected, with general diaries (GDs) filed at police stations in connection with the incidents.
However, no arrests have been made so far, he added.
Jahangir Alam said religious leaders were immediately informed and have been cooperating with the authorities. “GDs have been filed in every case, and inquiries are ongoing to identify those involved,” he said, reports Prothom Alo.
The home affairs adviser described the incidents as part of a larger conspiracy to disturb communal harmony and create unrest in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) under the guise of recent rape allegations and the Durga Puja vandalism.
He alleged that fascist groups and their cohorts were behind the plot, which has now become apparent.
He also mentioned that the chief adviser was portrayed disparagingly while making a Durga idol in a neighbouring country, adding that intelligence agencies have identified links between that act and the “bearded demon” incidents. Thanks to strict monitoring and coordinated efforts by law enforcement and the Puja security committee, he said, the conspiracy was foiled.
Commenting on the CHT unrest, Jahangir Alam said the rape allegation that initially sparked tension was not supported by medical evidence. With cooperation from the army, law enforcement personnel, and both hill and Bengali communities, the situation was brought under control. Roadblocks have been removed, and Section 144 has been lifted, he added.
The adviser further claimed that fascists and their associates also attempted to incite communal violence through the “bearded Asur” incidents, aided by certain intellectuals sympathetic to their cause. “But like last year, Durga Puja concluded peacefully and in a festive spirit,” he said.
