Dhaka, October 12, 2024: A petrol bomb was thrown into a Durga Puja pandal in the Tati Bazaar area of Dhaka, causing chaos during the ongoing five-day festival. Footage circulating online shows an injured person being rushed to the hospital, while the assailants fled the scene.
Tensions escalated earlier in the week when a group of individuals performed songs calling for an Islamic revolution at the Durga Puja stage at Jatra Mohan Sen Hall in Chattogram. This incident provoked anger within the local Hindu community, leading to a case being filed against seven persons, including Sajal Dutta, the Joint General Secretary of the Puja Committee.
Prominent Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen expressed her discontent on social media.
She remarked, “Jihadists are singing Islamic Jihadi songs in Durga Puja pandal. Imagine if Hindus start chanting ‘Hare Ram Hare Krishna’ during prayers in a mosque?” Her comments reflect the growing anxiety and tension surrounding the Durga Puja celebrations in Bangladesh.”
