Many temples located in Dakop, Khulna Province, Bangladesh, have recently received anonymous threatening letters. In these letters, the temple administrators were asked to pay Tk 5 lakh as toll. Otherwise they will not be allowed to celebrate Durga Puja. The letter has been sent to leaders of the Durga Puja organizing committee and warned them of dire consequences if they do not meet the demands.
Hindu community leaders have expressed their concerns, and some have begun considering canceling the temple festival entirely. Representatives of the four temples submitted a general diary (GD) to the Dakop police station on Friday. A community leader said a meeting was held and many members expressed a desire to cancel the festival.
The sender’s address is different, but the letter’s handwriting is the same.
However, they decided to go ahead with the puja. “Our members are no longer interested in celebrating this festival. We will have to stop the puja this year,” said Shekhar Chandra Goldar, chairman of the Kamarkhela Sarvajanin Durga Puja celebration committee. The letter, which was found in the same handwriting of the three men, was found by a local newspaper , but the sender address on the envelope is different.
Warning if you complain to the police you do so at your own risk
According to local media reports, the letter read: “If you want to perform Durga Puja in 2024, you have to pay Taka 500,000. Otherwise you will not be allowed to perform any form of worship.” It also threatened that if this If the letter is leaked to the authorities or the media, the person responsible will be “cut into pieces.”
“Four temples made applications to the Governor on Friday. We are investigating the matter and are conducting regular patrols with the army,” said Sirajul Islam, in-charge of Dakop police station.
