DHAKA, BANGLADESH, October 8, 2005: Although the government has tightened security to ensure the smooth celebration of Durga Puja, unidentified miscreants have vandalized icons of the Goddess Durga at least at three places in Muslim-dominated Bangladesh. Delayed reports reaching here from southern Khulna, Faridpur and Jessore districts said the miscreants had attacked the icons late on Thursday night. The biggest Hindu festival, which this year coincides with the Muslims Ramadan, began in Bangladesh from Sunday. Reached by telephone, a superintendent of police in southern Khulna district, Mainul Hasan, admitted that the vandalism had taken place in the Khulna metropolitan area on that night and said the security has been beefed up in areas under his supervision. “We have taken the highest-ever security measures around the puja stages,” said Hasan. The miscreants damaged the icon of Durga at the temple of Sri Satya Narayan in Labanchara area of Khulna. Locals said the miscreants entered the temple at the dead of night and damaged the icon. In Jessore, miscreants took away the bust of the icon of Durga on Thursday night from a temple at Alfadanga. The matter came to the notice of the local people on Friday morning.
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