Bangladesh orders Hindus to cease Puja and sound systems five minutes prior to Azan and Namaz ahead of Durga Puja
Bangladesh 
9 September, 2024
Case Summary
On September 10, 2024, the Bangladesh Home Ministry issued a directive ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations, requiring Puja committees to turn off rituals and sound systems five minutes before Azan and Namaz. This decree sparked outrage online, with some calling it a Talibani order from the interim Bangladeshi government. Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury met with leaders of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad to discuss law and order during Durga Puja (October 9-13, 2024). He stated that the directive was to maintain peace, citing issues with cross-border movement between India and Bangladesh during the festival. Chowdhury emphasised ensuring security at the 32,666 Puja mandaps planned this year, with round-the-clock protection and volunteer recruitment.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker as a religiously motivated crime under the prime category- Restriction/ban on Hindu practices. Under this, two sub-categories have been chosen based on the case details. The first is- Restriction on expression of Hindu identity. An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. The second sub-category is- Administration restricting religious practice. In several cases, it is seen that the administration/state disallows a religious practice owing to prejudicial orders and concerns, targeted specifically against the Hindu community. Such restriction/prohibition would be considered documented as a hate crime because the orders are often a result of pressure by groups that harbour animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. Often, the restriction by the authorities is driven by bias, hostility, or prejudice against the specific community being stopped from holding a religious practice, by pressure groups that harbour animosity towards Hindus, intrinsic to their faith. Since practices are intrinsic to the faith of the Hindus, such prejudicial restriction is considered a curtailing of the fundamental rights of the Hindu community. In several cases, for example, the authorities ban a Hindu religious practice due to pressure from groups opposed to the religion. In other instances the prohibition is selectively enforced against one religious group (Hindus) while others are allowed to proceed. There are still other cases where the authorities preemptively restrict a religious practice by Hindus because those who hold animosity towards Hindus may get “provoked” leading to them being violent, thereby assuaging the sentiments of those who hold animosity towards Hindus by curtailing the religious rights of Hindus. Such acts and orders are prejudiced, indicating discriminatory motives owing to the capitulation to groups that harbour animosity towards Hindus and therefore, would be categorized as a religiously motivated hate crime since the original pressure leading to the order itself is a result of hatred/bias/prejudice/religious hate against Hindus. In this case, the Bangladesh Home Ministry's directive to halt Hindu religious activities, such as Puja rituals and the use of sound systems during Durga Puja, directly undermines the ability of the Hindu community to express and practice their faith freely. By imposing such restrictions, the government is signaling that the religious and cultural expressions of Hindus are less important or should be subjugated to the practices of another community. Durga Puja is a major festival for Hindus, and its celebration includes singing, dancing, and devotional sounds, all of which are essential for the community's spiritual experience. The mandate to turn off sound systems and cease activities before Azan and Namaz not only infringes upon Hindu's right to express their religious identity but also displays the Bangladesh government's animosity and prejudice against Hindu beliefs. Since the act is prejudicial to the rights of Hindus and stems from hatred against Hinduism, this case is being categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
State and Establishment
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
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