Durga Puja: A Pledge of Harmony, a Question of Security

Durga Puja: A Pledge of Harmony, a Question of Security

Autumn’s white clouds, swaying kash flowers and the beat of the dhak herald the return of Durga Puja. The principal religious festival of Bengali Hindus brings a familiar atmosphere of family reunions, social warmth and cultural tradition. Meeting loved ones at puja pandals, returning home from abroad and watching children delight in new clothes—all make Durga Puja a cherished celebration. People of other faiths sharing in their neighbours’ joy is also a longstanding Bengali tradition.

At the heart of Durga Puja lies the defeat of evil and the triumph of good. In everyday life, this ideal finds expression in resisting injustice, standing beside the oppressed and defending human dignity. Worship of the goddess is therefore deeply connected to the hope for justice and the right to live in safety. Amid the festival’s lights, we must also acknowledge the darkness around us.

Bangladesh’s history of communal harmony is a source of pride. There are countless memories of people of different faiths living in the same neighbourhoods, helping one another through hardship and joining each other’s celebrations. Yet past achievements cannot conceal present insecurity. How meaningful are assurances of harmony to someone who lives in fear because of their religious identity? Families who have suffered attacks or lost loved ones need more than festive greetings; they need the assurance of justice.

The Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM), in its report covering January to June 2026, documented 824 incidents involving allegations of abuses against minorities and human rights violations. According to the organisation, these incidents extended across 63 districts. A separate report by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council covering the same period recorded 257 incidents of communal violence and 44 killings.

Is the government responding adequately to these concerns?

Reports of people being beaten to death, abducted or found dead with their hands and feet bound, alongside brutal violence against children, have become an all-too-familiar part of daily life.

The public needs to know how many allegations have been investigated, how many cases have resulted in charge sheets and how many perpetrators have been punished.

The UK government’s country information published in June 2025 described Hindus, Bangladesh’s largest religious minority, as approximately eight per cent of the population—an estimated 13 million people. The same information also noted the constitutional guarantee of equal status and equal rights for all religions.

The prolonged imprisonment of Chinmoy Krishna Das also raises questions of justice. He was arrested on 25 November 2024. According to news reports published in September, he remained in custody because of other cases despite receiving bail in several proceedings. We call for an end to his detention, now approaching two years, and for his release.

We also call for the protection of the safety, land rights and cultural dignity of Indigenous peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Their rights to their homes and the land on which their livelihoods depend must be protected. Land disputes must be resolved fairly, and allegations of violence must be investigated impartially.

During Durga Puja, heightened law enforcement activity and stringent security arrangements are visible across Bangladesh. Increased government grants also encourage more puja celebrations. These measures seek to present a picture of minorities living safely and happily, free to practise their religion. Alongside festival security and financial assistance, however, the government’s central priority must be to ensure their safety, rights and religious freedom throughout the year.

Security provided for public display cannot substitute for lasting protection. The state’s responsibility cannot be confined to managing a few days of festivities. People must be free throughout the year to live in their homes, run their businesses, defend their land rights, worship and speak out against injustice. Every citizen, whether from a minority or majority community, is entitled to equal protection, dignity and rights under the law.

Kazi Nazrul Islam’s vision of Hindus and Muslims as two flowers on the same stem, and Shah Abdul Karim’s songs recalling their shared lives, continue to move us. Preserving that inheritance is our responsibility today. We strengthen communal harmony by helping neighbours in danger, speaking against hatred and demanding justice for wrongdoing.

This Durga Puja, we hope to see the release of Chinmoy Krishna Das and the assurance of justice. We call for the protection of the safety, land and civil rights of religious minorities and Indigenous peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. No family should have to celebrate in fear. No person should fear losing their rights because of who they are.

May the goddess’s arrival give us the courage to build a Bangladesh where the promise of harmony is reflected in the reality of people’s lives.