Religious harmony is one of the hallmarks of the culture in Bangladesh. People of different religions have been enjoying the rights of their respective religions in this country since time immemorial. The spontaneous participation of people of other religions in the ceremonies of one religion has given a universal character to the ceremonies of each religion. Just as Hindus celebrate Eid, people of all religions, including Muslims, participate in various ceremonies during the Durga Puja. In this atmosphere, though a group tries to spread communal poison in the country, the country's religious harmony has been maintained for a long time. But it is also true that some isolated incidents at different times have created scars in people's minds.
In many cases, it has been seen that a vested interest group has indulged in mischievous attempts to destroy the religious harmony of the country based on minor incidents. During the Durga Puja of 2021, an untoward incident in Comilla caused untold incidents in different parts of the country. At that time, a group deliberately caused such incidents to create instability, which later came to light in the investigation of law enforcement agencies. Through such incidents, this group wanted to establish a communal spirit instead of a non-communal spirit in the country.
Although such abuses continue in the political context of Bangladesh, all those incidents have been successfully dealt with at various times due to the strong stance taken by the government. There is no way to deny that the people of the minority communities of the country feel somewhat more secure when the Awami League (AL) is in power. And this is why many opposition parties consider the minority community as the vote bank of the AL. As a result, they undertake various attempts to compel the minority community to leave the country. Considering the period of rule of other parties, it will be evident that various types of atrocities and injustices against minority communities took place during that period. Even the non-communal spirit was excluded from the constitution.
Those who were busy trying to create a communal atmosphere in the country during the Durga Puja of 2021 destroyed the temples of the minority community and tortured people, so there was a kind of dilemma among the people of this community, wondering how this year's Puja festival would be celebrated. Many of them were confused as to whether they could enjoy their religion's rights freely. We all know that Durga Puja is the biggest Hindu festival. This year, the government undertook several measures to make this festival open to everyone and ensure the puja was celebrated safely.
This year, Durga Puja created a different mood due to increased police vigilance or the mandatory installation of CCTV cameras in temples. Everyone celebrated the festival freely and fearlessly. Hindus and people of other religions witnessed a new Bangladesh full of festivities during the puja days. Everyone celebrated this autumn festival without fear by showing respect for each other's religion. The government should be praised for ensuring that the festival went off without any problems and for taking steps to ensure that Durga Puja could be celebrated without fear.
The honorable Prime Minister always says in her speeches that this country is one of the most excellent places of religious harmony. She expects people of all castes and religions to enjoy their rights in this country. Her expectation was fulfilled through the Durga Puja of 2022. The extensive activities undertaken by law enforcement agencies testify to the importance given by the government to make the festival a success. But many of us may have given different opinions. Many have said that if CCTV cameras were installed in all temples by the government or the Ministry of Home Affairs, the pressure on the worshipers to install the CCTV cameras would have been reduced to some extent because the cost of installing the CCTV cameras might have created pressure on the temple authorities. But if we consider this from the perspective of reality, it will be evident that Durga Puja was held in thousands of temples in Bangladesh. If the government had decided to install CCTV cameras in all the temples, it would have been time-consuming and challenging to complete this program successfully. A decision should have been taken long ago to implement such activities through the government.
Overall, I feel that the decision to install CCTV by the temple authorities has made it easier to implement. The installation of CCTV cameras in every temple has created a sense of fear among miscreants who want to indulge in misdeeds during the puja so that no untoward incident has occurred anywhere in the country. Although there were no untoward incidents on a large scale during the previous year's puja, I saw incidents of idol vandalism taking place in temples in various neighborhoods. This is a massive success for the government as no such incident has happened in any Bangladesh temple due to the government's strict policy this time. Therefore, the government should be applauded.
I believe humanism is the most significant religion for humankind. I have never believed in the theory of the minority and the majority. Therefore, I expect people of different religions to enjoy their rights while respecting other religions. However, although this matter seems correct in theory, in terms of reality, the people of a country are divided based on majority and minority theory. However, the way the AL government, under Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership, has emphasised the rights of minorities deserves praise.
I mentioned earlier that a vested interest group in Bangladesh always wants to create instability in the country by spreading the poison of communalism. And this is why secularism was excluded from the constitution. Under the leadership of the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, secularism has been re-instated as the cornerstone of Bangladesh's constitution. The AL government's respect towards people of every religion has been reflected through its policies. It is safe to say that it is possible to ensure the rights of people of all religions in a country if the government wants to.
The rights of people of all religions will never be established in that country if there is state-sponsored persecution of minorities, which we have experienced repeatedly. The country's people are well aware of how the minorities of Bangladesh were persecuted under state sponsorship after the 2001 elections. It is not true that during the 13-and-a-half-year rule of the present government, there has been no incident of minority persecution anywhere in Bangladesh.
In some cases, a few incidents may have occurred in isolation. It is also true that AL's local-level leaders and activists are involved in some cases of such incidents. But we want to see them as isolated incidents because what we understand as a whole is that when the AL is in power, the people of the minority communities feel very secure.
I believe that the end of the 2022 Durga Puja with joy and enthusiasm has not only brought relief to the people of the minority communities but will also be a positive achievement for the ruling AL government.
We hope that while the AL government is in power, the minority communities of Bangladesh will enjoy their religious rights in this way and celebrate other festivals like Durga Puja without fear. Finally, I would like to thank the AL government for ensuring flawless security and festivity during the Durga Puja.
The writer is a Professor of Public Administration at the
University of Rajshahi
