From round-the-clock surveillance and specialised police units to drones and helicopters for idol immersion, Bangladesh has put in place an extensive security apparatus at nearly 33,000 Durga Puja venues across the country to maintain communal harmony during the Hindu festival.
Durga Puja will be celebrated from October 16 to 20. The security arrangements come amid continuing concerns over the safety of religious minorities in the country.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Hossain Fakir said that a three-tier security plan has been introduced covering the period before the festival, the celebrations and idol immersion, and the days after the festivities, news portal tbsnews.net reported.
Police operations have already begun, he said at a meeting at police headquarters on Sunday.
The security plan includes the deployment of uniformed and plainclothes police personnel, along with specialised units such as Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, Crime Response Teams, Quick Response Teams, crime scene vans and bomb disposal units.
Monitoring cells will operate round the clock at police headquarters and other police units to oversee the security situation and respond to incidents.
Field-level officers have been instructed to act swiftly against attempts to disrupt communal harmony through propaganda, rumours and misleading images or information circulated on social media.
The Special Response Battalion-2 (SRB-2) has separately announced enhanced intelligence surveillance, regular patrols, checkpoints, special motorcycle patrols and a 24-hour control room and hotline service.
Two helicopters and drones will be deployed on the day of idol immersion, SRB-2 Commander Additional DIG Naimul Hasan said at a coordination meeting with representatives of Puja committees, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
"We respect diversity, he said.
According to the 2022 census, Hindus account for 8 per cent (approx 13 million) of Bangladesh's nearly 170 million people.
Durga Puja is the largest annual festival of the Hindu community and is celebrated at thousands of temporary and permanent venues, known as puja mandaps or pandals, across the country.
The police chief has urged officers to maintain regular contact with residents and representatives of different religious communities, visit puja venues frequently, and strengthen community and beat policing.
SRB-2 has also introduced the Surakkha app to enable people to report incidents at puja mandaps directly to law enforcement agencies.
At the coordination meeting, representatives of Puja committees raised concerns about mandaps located near mosques and called for preventive measures to avert possible incidents. They also sought steps to ease traffic congestion around festival venues.
Hasan said individuals or groups attempting to disrupt communal harmony through sabotage or other unlawful acts would be dealt with firmly.
He also said the battalion would coordinate with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's traffic division to address congestion.