Chittagong: Amid reports of atrocities on the Hindu community in Bangladesh, people sang an Islamic song on the stage of Durga Puja in Chittagong. According to a local media report, a group of people identified themselves as members of a cultural group who wanted to sing at JM Sen Hall in Chittagong City on Thursday evening, and a member of the Puja Committee gave permission. Citing the eyewitness, the media reported that the group sang a secular song, but the second song was Islamic. This triggered massive outrage among the Hindu community.
"We were busy receiving guests. Some people started singing an Islamic song", Asis Bhattacharya, President of the Puja Committee told the news agency ANI over the phone. "The Authority will take legal actions against them", he added without giving details. Police said they are investigating the incident.
The report came on the same day when the crown of goddess Kali was stolen from the Jeshoreshwari temple in Satkhira's Shyamnagar. The crown was gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the temple in March 2021. As per the local media report, the theft occurred on Thursday between 2.00 pm and 2.30 pm, after Temple Priest Dilip Mukherjee left the temple.
The cleaning staff later found that the crown was missing from the deity's head, reported The Daily Star. "We are reviewing the temple's CCTV footage to identify the thief," said Inspector Taizul Islam of Shyamnagar Police Station.
Later in the day, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka expressed grave concern about the report of the theft of the crown. "We have seen reports of theft of the crown gifted by PM Modi to Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple (Satkhira) in 2021 during his visit to Bangladesh. We express deep concern and urge Govt of Bangladesh to investigate the theft, recover the crown and take action against the perpetrators," the High Commission said in a post on X.
The stolen crown, made of silver and gold-plated, holds significant cultural and religious importance. According to Hindu mythology, the Jeshoreshwari Temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths scattered across the Indian subcontinent. The name "Jeshoreshwari" means "Goddess of Jeshore."
PM Modi visited the Jeshoreshwari Temple on March 27, 2021, during his trip to Bangladesh.
(With inputs from agency)
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