Rangpur: Celebration of the five-day Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Sanatan community, continues with due religious solemnity and fervor on the fourth day (Mahanavami) in Rangpur division today. Official sources said the administrations and authorities concerned, law enforcers, and local units of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad (BPUP) have taken adequate steps to ensure peaceful celebration of the religious festivity.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the celebrations will conclude with the immersion of idols erected in Puja mandaps across all eight districts in the division after the ‘Mohadashami’ tomorrow. The Puja mandap premises and adjoining areas have worn festive looks, featuring traditional fairs where local cottage industry products, handicrafts, toys, household goods, sweets, and other items are being marketed effectively.
Sanatani devotees, including men, women, boys, adolescents, girls, and youths, attired in colorful dresses, thronged Puja mandaps on Mahanavami to glimpse goddess Durga and seek blessings for humanity’s well-being. The colorfully decorated and illuminated Puja mandap premises have been heavily crowded since Monday afternoon and even more so at night, amid tight security measures.
This year, a total of 5,343 Durga Puja mandaps have been erected in Rangpur, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, and Dinajpur districts in the division. Devotees Anil Chandra Roy, Dipika Rani, Anutosha Kumar, and Pushpa Rani expressed satisfaction over the security steps taken for the peaceful celebration of Durga Puja when talking to BSS at Shree Shree Karunamoyee Mandir Durga Puja Mandap in the city.
Dr. Nikhilendra Shankar Guha Roy, convener of the district and metropolitan units of BPUP, stated that the Sanatan community is celebrating Durga Puja with great enthusiasm in all Puja mandaps in Rangpur city and across all eight upazilas in the district. He expressed gratitude to the interim government, district and police administrations, and authorities for ensuring peaceful celebrations of Durga Puja.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Majid Ali, while visiting different puja mandaps, said that the Sanatan community is celebrating Durga Puja with enthusiasm at mandaps in all six police stations of Rangpur metropolis. Deputy Inspector General for Rangpur Range Police Aminul Islam confirmed that ample steps have been taken with the deployment of police, RAB-13, Highway Police, and Ansar-VDP to ensure peaceful celebrations of Durga Puja in Rangpur division.