New Delhi, Oct 11
Durga Puja, the biggest festival for the Hindu minority in Bangladesh, witnessed a muted and tepid celebration this year. The nine-day festival mostly passed off peacefully, despite nagging concerns about safety.
However, the theft of Goddess Kali's crown from the famed Jeshoreshwari temple in Bangladesh's Satkhira district has sent shockwaves among the community, not just in Dhaka but also in India. The reason behind -- this crown was gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the temple in March 2021. Moreover, as per Hindu mythology, Jeshoreshwari Temple is revered as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas spread across India and neighbouring countries.
India has raised deep concern over the theft of the crown on the idol of the Hindu deity and asked Bangladesh to take urgent action. The Indian High Commission is said to be in touch with local authorities, urging them to probe the matter and find the guilty parties.
Given the religious significance of the temple for the Hindu community, this theft is not seen as any one-off incident but a planned conspiracy to send a larger message not just to the Bangladeshi minorities but also to those giving shelter to its 'fugitive' former PM Sheikh Hasina.
The conspirators behind this are understood to be an organised group of radical Islamists, possibly under Jamaat-e-Islami who harbour a desire to turn Bangladesh into a Shariah-ruled country.
According to reports, CCTV footage has emerged, capturing a suspect entering the temple and stealing the crown made of gold and silver. One may assume it to be a burglary incident but since Sheikh Hasina's exit, the incidents of persecution and harassment of Hindu minorities have risen multifold, thus leading to suspicions of a deeper plot and conspiracy.
Just before Durga Puja, extortion threats were made to several puja pandals and committees, leaving the community distraught and worried.
The radical Islamists threatened the puja committees to pay 5 lakh Bangladeshi taka, failing which they would be prohibited from putting up pandals. According to reports, many puja committees received anonymous letters in Khulna district, which asked them to deposit payment or else remain prepared for repercussions. Besides, the news of vandalism of Durga idols keeps coming from across the border.
Post the unceremonious ouster of Sheikh Hasina regime on August 5, there have been targeted attacks on Hindus, the desecration of temples and other places of worship has increased while their properties are being forcibly taken away. Jamaat-e-Islami remains at the core of this oppression and traumatization of the Hindu community.
In 2021 also, an alleged plot by the radical group came to light as it orchestrated violent attacks on Durga Puja pandals by spreading fake news that the Hindu community had placed a copy of an Islamic holy book at one of the pandals in Bangladesh.
This sparked widespread riots across the country and resulted in five deaths while many houses of the Hindu community were attacked and burnt. This was reportedly done to stoke communal fires and also to embarrass the Sheikh Hasina government, which used to rein in the extremists and radicals during the nine-day festival.
Experts believe that the theft at Jeshoreshwari temple is the handiwork of Jamaat and its men, as it wants to send a message to the minority community and also to the Indian subcontinent that the Hindu minority remains at the 'mercy' of its evil designs.
The toning down of Durga Puja festivities in Bangladesh, this year, too, reflects the underlying fear and worry among the community.