Six youths to be arrested for disrupting Puja celebration in Ctg

Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Farida Khanom said on Thursday evening that authorities would arrest within 48 hours six youths who took to the stage during a puja mandap and sang two songs, including an Islamic one, saying they would not sing just a patriotic song.

“No matter who they are and how powerful they are, they will be arrested in the next 24-48 hours,” she said during her visit to the JM Sen Hall Puja mandap.

A group of six youths disrupted the puja scene at JM Sen Hall, the largest puja mandap in the port city, and sang two songs that angered the Hindu community, who were peacefully celebrating Durga Puja.

A video of the incident went viral on social media, with some claiming the attackers were Shibir members, although the identity of the youths has not yet been confirmed.

“We cannot take this lightly. It is a heinous act. We are trying to identify them through the relevant authorities,” said Sukanta Mohajan Tutul, general secretary of the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Committee, at UNB, at the puja venue.

He mentioned that the youth had initially informed the Puja Committee members that they would sing a patriotic song, but instead they sang two Islamic songs.

Tutul added that they identified the individuals as members of the Chattogram Cultural Academy.

Rumor Scanner, an independent Bangladeshi fact-checking website that debunks fake news, myths and misinformation, has confirmed that the viral video is real and unedited.

DC Farida Khanom criticized the person in charge of the scene at the time, saying she failed to carry out her responsibilities properly.

She also urged the Puja celebration committee to take action against the person responsible for managing the scene.

“Bangladesh is a country of religious harmony. It is a festival for all. We have taken all necessary preparations to ensure peaceful celebrations of the festival,” she said.

Puja committee chairman Ashish Bhattacharya said the incident was hurtful and assured the local administration that they would suspend the person who was in charge of the scene.

Speaking to UNB, Tutul explained that they organized cultural activities in two sessions and the incident took place in the first session.

CA Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir, Deputy Press Secretaries Nayem Ali and Shuchismita Tithi, along with senior government officials visited the site and interacted with the Puja committee members.

Chattogram Cultural Academy president Selim Jaman said the Puja Committee had invited them to perform.

Around 2,000 police personnel have been deployed in the city to provide security during Durga Puja.

In Chattogram, Durga Puja is celebrated at 2,458 places, including 293 puja mandaps in the city and 2,165 in 15 upazilas of the district.

Earlier, Chief Advisor Prof Muhammad Yunus extended greetings to all members of the Hindu community in the country and reiterated that Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony.