Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retired) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Monday said no fairs or gatherings involving alcohol or drugs would be allowed during the upcoming Durga Puja.
“During Puja, fairs are often arranged around mandaps where alcohol and drugs are consumed. This year, such fairs will not be permitted, and gatherings involving alcohol or cannabis will be strictly prohibited,” he told reporters after a security meeting at the Secretariat in Dhaka.
The adviser said all Puja mandaps will be under 24-hour surveillance, with Ansar, police, RAB and Armed Forces personnel deployed nationwide. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will take charge of mandaps in border areas. He disclosed that 33,576 pavilions would be set up across the country this year, including 255 in Dhaka.
Jahangir stressed Idol immersions must be completed before 7pm, one by one, and in queues. He added that a new app would be used to verify incident reports for immediate response. “Last year Puja was celebrated peacefully, and this year it will be even more peaceful,” he said.