Ansar-VDP members will begin their duties at the 15,032 mandaps identified as important starting from Sunday
Published : 06 Oct 2024, 01:54 AM
Around 15,032 Durga Puja pavilions have been identified as ‘important’ and ‘highly important’ in terms of risk, and additional security measures will be provided by the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defense Party, or VDP.
Speaking at a press conference at the Ansar headquarters on Saturday, Ansars Director General Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud hope that the Durga Puja celebrations will take place in a joyful and peaceful environment, despite some concerns.
Ansar and VDP members will be deployed at over 32,000 pavilions throughout Bangladesh for eight days, from Oct 6 to Oct13, to ensure security during the Durga Puja festival.
The Ansars chief added that members will be stationed at the 'important' and 'highly important' pavilions starting Sunday, while they will be deployed at 'general' centres two days later.
A total of 212,192 Ansar-VDP members will be deployed, with 53,148 of them stationed at the 15,032 pavilions identified as at higher risk.
“To ensure peaceful Durga Puja celebrations, necessary coordination has been made with law-enforcing committees at all divisional, district, and Upazila levels, along with citizen committees.”
Preparations for Durga Puja are ongoing, despite recent attacks on the homes and businesses of the Hindu community following the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5. Reports of vandalism of pavilions and idols in some areas have also emerged.
Now, government agencies and security forces have issued warnings to maintain caution.
Before Ansar's statement, similar remarks had also been made by the Rapid Action Battalion, or RAB, and the Border Guard Bangladesh, or BGB. The Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs announced the deployment of volunteers.
At a press conference on Friday, BGB Director General Major Gen Mohammad Ashraful Islam Siddiqui said: "There is indeed a possibility of unrest or instability during Durga Puja."
"Regarding sabotage, there has been some concern about potential unrest within the Ansar force initially, and we are also observing instability in certain factories and the situation in the Chattogram Hill Tracts."
On Thursday, Social Welfare Advisor Sharmin S Murshid announced the deployment of 84,000 volunteers during a press conference at the ministry's office.
At a press briefing in Dhaka on Wednesday, RAB spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Munim Ferdous said: "There are some provocations surrounding the Puja. Some may attempt to create disorder. But we want to assert firmly that we are closely monitoring every aspect to ensure no one causes any chaos."
Amid these concerns, preparations for the Durga Puja, set to begin on Oct 9, are moving forward. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, has also instructed its divisional committees to deploy volunteers at Puja pavilions.
Chief of Army Staff General Waqar-Uz-Zaman provided reassurance during his visit to Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka.
"We are on the ground now. You can attend the Puja pavilions without fear. Celebrate the Puja and enjoy this festival peacefully,” he said.
Ansar's director general added that based on the current situation and security assessments from all relevant agencies, the pavilions have been categorised as ‘highly important’, ‘important’, and ‘general’, and Ansar personnel will be deployed accordingly.
In the interest of maintaining law and order as the highest priority, members of the Ansar who are not of the Hindu faith are being discouraged from taking leave during this period, he added.