‘Makeshift’ Durga ‘Mandap’ Encroaching on Railways Land Was Lawfully Removed, Says Bangladesh

New Delhi: Bangladeshi authorities removed a ‘makeshift Durga mandap’ in Dhaka that was built without permission on railways land, the country's interim government said on Friday (June 27), a day after India accused it of allowing the “temple” to be demolished after “extremists” had called for its destruction.

While officials had told the mandap's organisers to remove it multiple times, they ultimately ‘peacefully evicted’ it from the government land due to non-compliance and immersed its Durga idol in a nearby river, per Bangladesh's foreign ministry, which did not directly refer to the Indian external affairs ministry's remarks from a day prior.

The removal of “unauthorised structures” is a “regular and lawful activity” and no one is allowed to build religious structures on government land without permission, Bangladesh's foreign ministry said in a statement, urging for “all to refrain from reacting on any matter disregarding the facts and ground realities”.

India's external affairs ministry had said on Thursday that “extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple” in Dhaka's Khilkhet area and that Bangladesh's interim government instead of securing the temple “allowed” its destruction by “projecting the episode” as an instance of “illegal land use”.

“This has resulted in damage to the deity before it was shifted,” spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

He continued: “We are dismayed that such incidents continue to recur in Bangladesh. Let me underline that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus, their properties and religious institutions.”

However, the Bangladesh foreign ministry, which made no mention of calls for the structure's ‘destruction’ prior to the action by railways authorities on Thursday, said the ‘mandap’ was installed during Durga Puja celebrations last year on land that is “undisputedly owned” by the Bangladesh railways “without having prior permission”.

Railways authorities “extended permission” for the mandap to stay there on the ‘mutually agreed’ condition that those who installed it remove it after Puja celebrations, but the latter reneged on the deal and instead put up a statue of Kali at the site, the foreign ministry alleged.

“In spite of repeated reminders, they unfortunately took initiative to make the mandap permanent, disregarding their own arrangement with the railways authorities,” it added.

Dhaka said that railways officials, following “consultations with local community representatives” and “organisers of the mandap”, issued a public notice in December calling for the removal of all unauthorised structures, including shops and offices of political parties.

But they decided to remove these structures following non-compliance despite reminders, including on Tuesday and Wednesday, the foreign ministry claimed.

During the mandap's ‘peaceful eviction’ on Thursday, its idol “was immersed in the nearby Balu River in due reverence with the participation of members of the local Hindu community”.

“While the laws of the land ensure full protection to all places of worship without discriminating against any built in conformity with law, it is not permissible for any to build any religious structure encroaching public land under any circumstances,” the ministry said.

Bangladesh “remains firmly committed to safeguarding the rights of all communities, including protection of … places of worship,” it added.

Bilateral relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have soured during the tenure of Bangladeshi interim chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, with India repeatedly raising its concern about attacks on religious minorities, particularly Hindus, on the interim administration's watch.

While Bangladesh has acknowledged some incidents and claimed to have taken action, it argues that India's accounts of these incidents are ‘exaggerated’ and that many incidents were politically motivated.

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