Dhaka among 5 districts at high risk ahead of Durga Puja: Sampriti Jatra

A social platform, Sampriti Jatra, has classified five districts as high risk and 24 districts as medium risk ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations.

The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Sagor-Runi Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Saturday (September 20).

According to the platform’s risk assessment, the high-risk districts are Dhaka, Rangpur, Jashore, Chandpur, and Noakhali. The 24 medium-risk districts include Gazipur, Faridpur, Manikganj, Rajbari, Chattogram, Bandarban, Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, Laxmipur, Feni, Pabna, Chapainawabganj, Natore, Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Khulna, Kushtia, Sunamganj, Barishal, Patuakhali, and Netrokona.

Other districts were classified as low risk.

The risk map was prepared by analyzing reported incidents of attacks on puja mondops, procession routes, and minority households between 2014 and 2025, drawing from media reports and human rights documentation.

Writer and researcher Mir Huzaifa, reading a statement at the conference, urged law enforcement agencies to investigate complaints impartially. He criticized ongoing attempts to undermine social harmony through false accusations over the past two decades, noting that despite the 2024 mass movement advocating non-discrimination, such tensions persist.

Maha Mirza, a part-time economics teacher at Jahangirnagar University, expressed concern over the lack of effective government action. “The government appears indifferent to these crimes. Only political will can stop mob violence, but the interim government seems to be turning a blind eye,” she said.

Sampriti Jatra, formed by writers, poets, and social and cultural activists, plans to establish committees across districts and upazilas to safeguard temples, shrines, and minority communities.

The platform emphasized that this initiative is intended as a long-term movement aimed at structural reforms to foster harmony and coexistence. It called on the interim government to deploy additional police and rapid response teams, establish rumor control mechanisms, ensure transparency in complaint handling, enhance technical security, and provide emergency support to affected communities.

The press conference also outlined future steps, including forming local Sampriti committees, monitoring and documentation efforts, rumour prevention, rapid assistance networks, and policy advocacy to protect vulnerable groups during religious festivals.