Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad (BPUP) on Monday placed a 12-point demand including three-day government holidays on the occasion of Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of Bangalee Hindu community.
“Rangpur-3 by-election, scheduled to be held on October 5, is on the second day of Dugra Puja. We demanded for holding the polls on October 9 or 10 instead of October 5,” BPUP Gneral Secretary Nirmal Kumar Chattarjee told a press conference at Dhakeswari National Temple here. Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad President Milon Kanti Dutta, its Adviser and journalist Swapan Kumar Saha and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee President Shailendra Nath Majumder addressed the press conference while leaders of BPUP and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee were also present on the occasion.
The other demands included remaining stopped the examinations of schools, colleges, universities and job recruitment tests on the days of Durga Puja, illuminating key government buildings including Bangabhaban, Ganabhaban and Nagar Bhaban decorating streets with greeting messages during the puja as like as other national festival.
They also demanded providing special foods at prisons, hospitals and orphanages, constituting Hindu Foundation in place of Hindu Religious Welfare Trust, ensuring uninterrupted power supply at temples during the puja, setting up a model temples in each upazila, providing cash money instead of rice as government donation during the puja.
The Puja Udjapan Parishad also expressed concern over the vandalizing of idols by communal forces in different districts in the country. According to the written statement, a total of 31,398 permanent and temporary puja mandaps are being prepared for worshiping goddess Durga across the country this year while the numbers of mandap were 30915 in the last year. A total of 483 puja mandaps have increased this year. In the capital Dhaka, a total of 237 puja mandaps will worship Durga Puja while the number of mandaps was 234 in the last year. A total of 7271 mandaps will hold Durga Puja in Dhaka division, 4456 in Chattogram, 2545 in Sylhet, 4936 in Khulna, 3512 in Rajshahi, 5305 in Rangpur, 1741 in Barishal and 1632 in Mymensingh. Apart from Chattogram, Rangpur, Mymensingh and Rajshahi, the number of puja mandaps has increased in other four divisions. Highest numbers of puja will be arranged in Chattogram district with 1774 puja pandals. About the increasing of the number of puja mandaps, the organization leaders said the economic advancement of the country and security measures taken by the pro-liberation government are the key factors behind the increasing of puja pandals.
They also expressed satisfaction over the security measures taken by the government across the country for peaceful celebration of Durga Puja this year.
The annual five-day “Sharodiya Durgotsab” will begin with the incarnation (Bodhon) of the Goddess Durga on the day of Maha Sashthi on October 4. Maha Saptami puja will be performed on October 5, Maha Ashtami on October 6, Maha Nabami on October 7 and the festival will end with the immersion of the idols of the Goddess Durga on Bijoya Dashami on October 8.
