Police to remain on high alert for Puja celebration in Dhaka

Dhaka, Sep 25: Police would be placed on the highest alert at every puja mandap in Bangladesh’s capital to ensure that the Hindu community celebrate Durga Puja peacefully, a top police official said on Wednesday, amid concerns of possible unrest during the festival. Durga puja will be celebrated in Bangladesh from October 9 to 13.
“We have already started taking measures to ensure the security of the puja mandaps,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Mainul Hassan was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.
Hassan said that police both in uniform and plain clothes will be on the highest alert to ensure unprecedented security arrangements during the Durga Puja. “Besides, SWAT, crisis response team, quick response team, crime scene van and bomb disposal unit will be kept ready to make the security measures foolproof,” he said.
He made the remarks while presiding over a meeting on security, law and order and traffic management centring the Sharodia Durga Puja at its headquarters here. Senior police officers and leaders of the Hindu community were present at the meeting.
Hassan said they have chalked out the security plan in three phases – pre-puja, during puja and the immersion of the goddess Durga – to ensure foolproof security to celebrate the puja peacefully, the agency said. He upon the leaders of the Puja Udjapn Parishad to ensure sure effective operation of the CCTVs round the clock during the festival, alongside appointing own volunteers at the mandaps to help police in ensure peaceful celebration of the festival. (PTI)