The festival of Janmashtami is being celebrated with great pomp on 26th August all over the world including India. Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, the people of Hindu community are preparing for Shri Krishna Janmotsav amidst the changed circumstances. However, there is a state of confusion in the country after the violence. Due to which the festival of Janmashtami in Bangladesh seems to be dull as compared to other years.
Preparations for Janmashtami are going on in many different ISKCON temples of the country including Dhaka. Janmashtami festival will start in temples after 5:00 pm and many Hindu families are busy preparing to celebrate Janmashtami at home as well.
According to the Dhaka Tribune, television as well as other private TV channels and radio stations are broadcasting special programmes highlighting various aspects of Krishna’s eventful life.
At the same time, on the eve of Janmashtami, the head of the interim government of Bangladesh, Mohammad Yunus, while addressing the nation, said that the citizens of Bangladesh will not be discriminated against on the basis of religion or political beliefs.
Janmashtami will not be celebrated in ISKCON temple of Meharpur
Apart from this, Janmashtami festival is not being celebrated in the ISKCON temple which was set on fire by miscreants after the coup in Meherpur district of Bangladesh on the India-Bangladesh border. The temple priest Sammohan Mukunda Das released a video and said that this time Shri Krishna Janmashtami is not being celebrated after the incident of arson and looting in the temple.
After the coup on 5 August in Bangladesh, violent mobs targeted minorities, looted and set many temples on fire. After this incident, India raised the issue of safety of Hindus. After the brutality against minority Hindus in the violence, Hindus took the responsibility of their own safety. Minority Hindus living in the Old City area were keeping vigil all night. Outside the Hindu settlement, youth of the community were patrolling the roads leading to their settlement with sticks in their hands, so that what happened with the houses and temples of Hindus in other areas of Bangladesh does not happen again. Some youth were keeping vigil with sticks in their hands and some were roaming in the streets.
Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh
Let us tell you that after the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5 over the controversial quota system in jobs, the law and order situation collapsed across the country. Many police stations were attacked and set on fire, due to which the officers stopped working fearing for their safety. Meanwhile, amid violence and turmoil, Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh and went to India. She is still in India.