Hindu Rohingya refugees displaced from Myanmar are celebrating Durga Puja at the Kutupalong Hindu refugee camp in Ukhiya, turning the religious festival into a gathering of joy and togetherness. Children in new clothes play and run around the puja mandap, while additional security measures are in place across the camp.
A visit to the camp in Kutupalong on Tuesday afternoon found a ceremonial arch at the entrance. The lane leading to the Radha-Krishna temple was decorated with colourful lights. Members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) were on duty at the entrance, allowing people inside after verifying their identities.
Rows of refugee shelters stand on both sides of the road inside the camp. A short walk along the central road leads to the Durga Puja mandap, where children’s excitement was evident. Some walked around in new clothes, while others played in front of the mandap. Other camp residents also joined in the festive atmosphere.
Ansar and APBn members were deployed around the mandap to ensure security.
Mohan Banshi Shil, president of the Kutupalong Hindu Refugee Camp Universal Durga Puja Celebration Council, said they had fled to Bangladesh in August 2017 alongside other Rohingya people amid persecution by Myanmar’s military.
“Durga Puja celebrations at the camp began in 2018. With the support of the administration, we have been able to organise the festival smoothly this year as well,” he said.
At the mandap, Hindu Rohingya refugee Tuku Bala said they had performed ghat puja, a form of worship involving a sacred pot, while living in Myanmar. They later fled to Bangladesh alongside other Rohingya refugees and began organising Durga Puja at the camp the following year.
She thanked God for the opportunity to observe religious festivals in Bangladesh.
Ukhiya Upazila Nirbahi Officer Panna Akter said nine mandaps were celebrating Durga Puja across the upazila this year. Closed-circuit television cameras were installed at the mandaps, and security was strengthened.
One of the nine mandaps is located at the Hindu Rohingya refugee camp, where security arrangements have been coordinated by local organisers and Rohingya residents, she said. Security forces have also been deployed, and the upazila administration has installed CCTV cameras at the camp’s mandap.
According to people involved in the arrangements, around 600 to 700 Rohingya refugees from 132 families live in the Kutupalong Hindu refugee camp. They organise Durga Puja every year.
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Abdu Rashid Manik
