Rights platform Sampriti Jatra on Saturday identified 29 districts in the country as ‘vulnerable’ to communal attacks during Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindus in Bangladesh.
Durga Puja will be celebrated in the country from September 28 to October 2.
‘We have prepared the risk map by analysing incidents of attacks on puja mandaps, procession routes or minority homes reported in various media outlets and human rights reports over the past 10 years (2014 to 2025),’ said researcher Mir Hojaifa Al Mamduh while reading out the platform’s statement at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital.
The newly formed platform, working for rights of marginalised and disadvantaged communities, in its vulnerable map identified five districts as the ‘most vulnerable’ and the 24 others as ‘medium vulnerable’ districts.
According to the platform, Dhaka, Rangpur, Jashore, Chandpur and Noakhali are the ‘most vulnerable’ districts while Gazipur, Faridpur, Manikganj, Rajbari, Chattogram, Bandarban, Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, Lakshmipur, Feni, Pabna, Chapainawabganj, Natore, Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Khulna, Kushtia, Sunamganj, Barishal, Patuakhali and Netrakona are the ‘medium vulnerable’ districts.
Moreover, the platform identified rest of the districts in the country as ‘low vulnerable’ to communal attacks.
Hojaifa said, ‘Unfortunately, for more than two decades, an organised group has been engaged in deliberate activities aimed at disrupting communal harmony and over time its scope has continued to expand.’
Citing past experiences, he said that elections added a new dimension to the risk as minority residential areas, business centres, places of worship and shrines became targets both before and after elections.
The platform urged the common people to spread the culture of harmony while the government to take measures to ensure the protection of the lives, property, religious freedom and cultural rights of the citizens.
It urged the government to ensure priority-based security in the ‘most vulnerable’ districts, establish rumour prevention framework, take rapid actions addressing allegations and ensure technical security.
The platform also slammed the recent attacks on shrines, temples, religious institutions and heritage.
Jahangirnagar University teacher Maha Mirza, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi general secretary Jamshed Anwer Tapan, singer and activist Arup Rahee and Samageet Sangskriti Prangan member Bithi Ghosh, among others, spoke at the press conference.
On September 17, the inspector general of police, Baharul Alam, said that police had taken security measures to ensure celebration of the forthcoming Durga Puja in a peaceful atmosphere.
