Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community, began across the country on Friday with the incarnation (Bodhon) of the Goddess Durga at temples across the country. The five-day festival will come to an end with the immersion of idols of goddess Durga in rivers and other water bodies across the country on October 8.
The Mahasaptami puja will be held on Saturday (October 5) while Mahashtami, Kumari Puja and Sandhi Puja on Sunday (October 6), Mahanabami puja on Monday (October 7) and Biyoya Dashami on (October 8). Recitation of the verses from the Chandi and blowing of conch shells (Shankha) and beating of drums will be heard from temples and pandals in the city and elsewhere throughout the day.
Adequate security measures have been taken for smooth celebrations of the festival. Additional members of police, Ansar, Rapid Action Battalion and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed in puja mandaps to ensure a full-proof security. Meanwhile BSS adds, the five-day long Sharadiya Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangali Hindu community, began on Friday in the city and as elsewhere in the district amidst traditional enthusiasm and due solemnity.
The celebration began with Bodhan (the process of infusing life into idol) and would end with immersion of Goddess Durga on Bijoya Dashami. A large numbers of Hindu devotees were seen assembling at all puja mandaps to offer Shasti in different area in the city and district. A good number of Hindus from all walks of life visited the JM Sen hall and Ramkrishna Mission which are considered to be the central attraction of venues of the Durga Puja in Chattogram. Meanwhile, a total of 2,144 puja mandaps, including 270 in city, have already been set up this year in 15 upazilas of the district.
Sources said there are over 200 more puja podiums in city and district this year compared to the last year. To mark the celebration, city mayor AJM Nasir Uddin inaugurated a function at Jamal Khan Kushum Kumari School premises today. Police, district administration and leaders of Hindu community are on frequent touch and exchanging views with each other so that Durga Puja can be celebrated in peaceful manner like previous year, community and administration sources said.
They said a six to eight members team of law enforcers drawn from police and Ansars have been deployed in each Puja Mandaps in the city and district. Both district and Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) administrations have already cancelled leaves of all police staff excluding the members of Hindu community and opened separate control rooms at their respective headquarters to monitor the situation. The CMP authority also formed a good number of striking forces, necessary platoons of APBN to face any sudden problems, the CMP sources said.
Besides, setting up of huge check posts, nearly 100 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras would also be set up at different strategic points to monitor the security measures arranged for devotees after and before the Puja celebration. All the entry points of the city like Shah Amanat Bridge, City Gate and Oxygen areas in the port city were brought under tight security measures with CCTV monitoring. Necessary instruction was also given to search the suspicious persons at any points during the festival. On the other hand, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-7 has taken all-out security measures to make the holy occasion a total success.
