The Sanaton community began five-day celebrations of their greatest religious festival of Durga Puja with 'Bodhan' on Monday at all 5,189 Puja mandaps in Rangpur division amid due religious gaiety.
The Sanaton devotees of all ages started thronging Puja mandaps this morning to have a glance at goddess Durga and seek her blessings for the welfare of them and humanity as a whole. The administrations, law enforcement agencies and local units of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad (BPUP) have taken ample steps to ensure peaceful celebrations of Durga Puja abiding by the health directives amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Local leaders of BPUP said the five-day celebrations will end on October 15 next with the 'Bijoya Dashami' parade and immersion of the idols of goddess Durga in water bodies.
The district administrations have distributed 500 kgs rice among each of the 5,189 Puja mandap authorities in the division to assist the Sanaton community in celebrating their greatest religious festival.
Deputy Inspector General for Rangpur Range Police Devdas Bhattacharya said special measures have been taken with deployment of police, RAB, Highway Police, Ansar-VDP and community police to ensure peaceful celebrations of puja.
Local Members of Parliament, Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police, Upazila Nirbahi Officers, politicians, leaders of socio-cultural organisations and BPUPs are visiting Puja mandaps and extending cooperation to the Sanaton community people. Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohd Abdul Alim Mahmud said the Sanaton community started celebrations of Durga Puja today amid huge enthusiasm at all 156 mandaps erected at different places under jurisdictions of the metropolis. “We have taken sufficient steps and security measures to ensure peaceful celebrations of the five-day religious festival at all Puja mandaps located under all six police stations of Rangpur Metropolitan Police,” Alim told BSS.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) of Rangpur Md Golam Rabbani said celebrations of Durga Puja festival began today at 947 Durga Puja mandaps in all eight upazilas, Rangpur metropolis and three municipalities in the district.
