Several untoward incidents related to Durga Puja in Bangladesh since October 1, 17 arrested

Golden mukut stolen from Hindu temple in Bangladesh during Durga Puja celebrations, sparking concerns and arrests.

Seventeen persons have been arrested and about a dozen cases registered after Bangladesh witnessed about 35 untoward incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations across the country this month, police said here.

The development comes a day after it was discovered that a hand-crafted golden mukut (crown) gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stolen from a Hindu temple in Bangladesh's southwestern Satkhira district amid Durga Puja celebrations, a theft over which India expressed concern.

The five-day Hindu religious festival began with an invocation of Goddess Durga, an occasion called Maha Shasthi on Wednesday. The celebrations would conclude with the immersion of Goddess Durga murtis on Sunday.

The minority Hindu population — Hindus constitute just about 8% of the 170 million Bangladesh population — faced vandalism of their businesses, and properties and destruction of temples during the student-led violence that erupted following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5.

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“Since October 1, 35 incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations have occurred across the country, leading to 11 cases being filed, 24 general diaries (GD) registered, and 17 individuals arrested,” newspaper The Dhaka Tribune said quoting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Moinul Islam.

Mr. Islam visited the Banani Puja Mandap in Dhaka on Friday (October 11) after which he told reporters that Durga Puja was being celebrated at over 32,000 mandaps nationwide.