Temples get letters demanding Tk 500,000 in Durga Puja extortion

After receiving the ‘airmailed letters’, several temple committees in Khulna’s Dakop have complained to the police

Several temple committees in Khulna’s Dakop have received letters through ‘air mail’ demanding extortion money if they want to hold Durga Puja celebrations.

The letters demand Tk 500,000 from each temple. In addition, they threatened to ‘chop them into little bits’ if the local authorities or journalists were informed of the extortion attempt.

Four temples in the Upazila have filed complaints, also known as general diaries, says Sirajul Islam, chief of Dakop Police Station.

The letters have stirred anxiety among the Hindu community. The general secretary of a temple committee says that some temples have decided not to celebrate Durga Puja this year.

On condition of anonymity, he said that the letters were addressed to the temple presidents and secretaries. Locals met over the issue once the letters arrived on Wednesday.

“Most of the people there were initially in favour of not holding the puja this year. But then everyone decided to remain steadfast in their decision to celebrate the puja together.”

But, afterwards, some other local temple committees decided not to engage in celebrations.

Shekhar Chandra Goldar, president of the Kamarkhola Sarbajanin Durga Puja Celebration Committee in Dakop, said:

“This year, there were talks of doing a very small-scale puja instead of a large one. But, after receiving such letters, our members are no longer interested. This year, we will not have the puja.”

Asked about the letters, he said: “Every letter was composed on computers. The letters sent to the three temples had the same message. The sender wrote the addresses of the temples on yellow envelopes.”

“At one point in the letter, it said that we would face the same fate as Hanif’s project. The letter also threatened to ‘chop us into bits’ if we informed authorities or journalists about the extortion attempt.”

The letters said the money had to be paid in seven days.

Asked about the ‘Hanif project’ some locals said that after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on Aug 5, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubl-ul Alam Hanif’s shrimp enclosures had been looted.

“We are investigating these air mail letters,” said Dakop OC Islam. “We are making efforts to protect the temples.”

“Teams from the police station and the army are going on regular patrols. Village police and union-based police officials are also on round-the-clock patrols.”