Police ban sharp objects during Ashura procession

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have imposed a ban on the carrying of sharp weapons, including swords, spears and knives, in the Taazia processions taken out during Ashura in the capital.

Shia Muslims take part in Ashura in large numbers.
 
DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia made the announcement on Thursday.
 
The move comes weeks before Ashura, which is observed on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.
 
“They (Shias) always wear shackles and carry swords, machetes, knives and spears during their procession taken out from Old Dhaka’s Hussaini Dalan. We called them up and said that such processions could not be taken out now due to security reasons,” Mia told reporters after a programme at Mirpur.
 
Ashura is observed as a day of mourning in the memory of Imam Hussein Ibn Ali, the second grandson of Prophet Muhammad who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.
 
It is mostly Shia Muslims who observe the day in Dhaka and across Bangladesh by taking out Taazia processions and engaging in self-flagellation.
 
In the traditional processions, devotees lacerate themselves with sharp weapons to demonstrate their grief and echo the sufferings of Imam Hussein.
 
The DMP chief said, “This is not a religious canon. They (Shias) have agreed to comply with our ban.”
 
Last year, incidents of mugging took place during the Taazia procession and a bomb attack occurred during the preparations in the early hours on the day of Ashura at Hussaini Dalan, resulting in some casualties.
 
Mia said police had taken all necessary measures to ensure adequate security for both Ashura processions and Durga Puja, the biggest Hindu religious festival in Bangladesh.
 
The immersion of Durga’s idol will be done on the same day as Ashura.
 
The DMP commissioner said police and RAB would work together with local residents and take separate measures for each Puja pavilion across the city.