Thousands of Hindu devotees from Bangladesh were forced to observe Manasha Puja in the no-man’s land between Bangladesh and India yesterday after border guards reportedly barred them from crossing over into India for the annual celebrations dedicated to the snake goddess.
As several thousand worshippers from Benapole headed towards Petrapole in India for the puja in the morning, they were intercepted by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel, a witness said.
“So, they took position along the frontier and held the puja there,” Mohshin Milon, a clearing and forwarding agent at Benapole land port, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Moreover, Indian worshippers who tried to join them were stopped by members of their Border Security Force (BSF), Milon said.
Devotees of both countries have been celebrating Manasha Puja together at Petrapole for a long time. But they could not do so this time as they were barred by both the BGB and BSF, he added.
However, there was no immediate statement from the border forces explaining the tighter security this year.
