Dhaka tightens security as Durga Puja begins

Sharadiya Durga Puja began with Shashthi rituals on Friday, with extensive security measures in place across the capital to ensure peaceful celebrations.

A visit to Dhakeshwari National Temple on Friday showed heightened security, with specialised law enforcement units, archways, metal detectors and police dog squads conducting searches and patrols.

Members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s K-9 unit, SWAT, Ansar and other security forces were seen on alert inside the temple premises.

According to the Puja Udjapan Parishad, an additional 2,072 police personnel have been deployed beyond their regular duties to secure 257 puja mandaps in Dhaka. Police presence has been ensured round the clock at the venues as part of a special security plan.

The mandaps are also being monitored through CCTV cameras, while visitors are being screened at key entrances using archways.

Kajal Debnath, a leader of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, told Sarabangla that the government and law enforcement agencies were playing a sincere and proactive role in ensuring security during Durga Puja.

However, he said it was equally important to build a lasting environment in which every citizen could live safely and peacefully throughout the year, rather than only during the six days of the festival.

Binoy Sharma, a young visitor to Dhakeshwari National Temple, said security was generally maintained at the temple during festivals.

He expressed hope that every temple, both in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, would remain safe and that religious differences would not damage social harmony.

Rani Samaddar, a homemaker who came to offer prayers, said the goddess arrived every year with a message of peace.

She expressed the hope that there would be no violence or conflict in the country and that all people would remain safe. She also called for security measures to continue throughout the year, not just during the festival.

The Puja Udjapan Parishad has issued a 22-point set of guidelines to strengthen security at puja mandaps across the country, including at district and upazila levels.

The guidelines call for round-the-clock deployment of volunteers at every mandap, installation of CCTV cameras where possible, adequate firefighting equipment and buckets of sand, and immediate notification of local administration and relevant authorities if there are signs of any untoward incident.