Peaceful ‘Durga Puja’ and immersion in Bangladesh, one child drowns , another still missing

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 3, 2025

The ‘Durga Puja’ festival of the persecuted Hindu minorities in Bangladesh including the immersion yesterday passed off peacefully and without any untoward incident. This year more than 33 thousand ‘Pujas’ were held including in temples, community pandals were organised and the government had posted heavy security arrangements by deploying adequate number of security force jawans and by putting up CCTV cameras in all pandals. Sources from Bangladesh said that in the run-up to the festival stray incidents of breaking idols had marred the ambience but the government took appropriate security arrangements . The chief advisor Md Yunus himself, accompanied by senior officials and leaders of different political parties including the Jamat-e-Islami had visited the national ‘Dhakeshwari’ temple and assured the authorities that his government would ensure a peaceful ‘Durga Puja’. The assurance was kept and the ‘Puja’ turned out to be peaceful with participation in certain places of the members of majority Muslim community. “We are happy that the festival and ‘Puja’ this year has been peaceful and we thank the government but we want that the ‘Pujas’ be held without any governmental security ; it is the sympathy and co-operation of the majority Muslim brothers and sisters that can give us permanent peace and security” said a Hindu leader from across the border.

Meanwhile a tragedy has occurred in the immersion of the images of ‘Debi Durga’ in Bangladesh as one girl child drowned and another is still missing after the boat they had been riding on had capsized in the river Turag in Kaliakhail subdistrict under Tangail district yesterday. Sources from Bangladesh said that images of the Mother Goddess had been carried to the middle of the Turag river for immersion and the ‘Puja’ enthusiasts had been accompanying the image-carrying boats in other hired boats. In one such boat Ankita Rani Deb (8), daughter of Swapan Deb (41) and Tanmay Das (7), son of Taposh Das (40) had been following on another hired boat but before the images could be immersed the boat carrying the children and their fathers collided against another passenger boat and capsized around 5-00 PM yesterday. As a result both Ankita Rani and Tanmay fell into the river and after a long search the divers this morning recovered the lifeless body of Ankita Rani while Tanmay still remains missing. Sources said that the death of Ankita Rani and disappearance of Tanmay have cast a shadow of grief and mourning in the Hizatoli village under the Kaliakhail sub-district.

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