On demolition of temple, Bangladesh says it was set up last year on rail land
NEW DELHI: A day after India denounced the destruction of a Durga temple in Dhaka, the Bangladesh government said on Friday that the shrine was demolished, along with many other unauthorised structures built along railway tracks, but only after the idol was removed and immersed in a nearby river. The removal of unauthorised structures to recover government land is a 'regular and lawful administrative activity'.
Against the backdrop of a sharp downturn in bilateral ties since the installation of a caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus last August, the external affairs ministry criticised Bangladeshi authorities on Thursday for the demolition of the Durga temple in the Khilkhet area of Dhaka.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that 'extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple' and the interim government had 'projected the episode as illegal land use' instead of providing security to the temple.
Bangladesh's foreign ministry said in a statement that during last year's Durga Puja, the local Hindu community installed a makeshift 'puja mandap' on a piece of land owned by Bangladesh Railways without prior permission. The railways permitted this on the condition that the organisers would remove the mandap as soon as the puja celebrations were over.
'Regrettably, after the Puja was over in October 2024, the organisers declined to remove the makeshift Mandap violating the mutual agreement. Rather they established a 'Maha Kali' (Kali Murti) there,' the statement said.
In December 2024, the railway authorities held consultations with local community representatives and organisers of the mandap and issued a notification asking for the removal of all unauthorised installations, including vendors, hundreds of shops and offices of political party 'illegally built' on either side of the rail tracks, the statement said.
After repeated reminders to those who illegally occupied the land, Bangladesh Railways asked for the removal of all unauthorised installations during June 24-25. 'Finally, on 26th June, following due process, Bangladesh Railways proceeded to peaceful eviction of all unauthorised structures along the rail track in Khilkhet area,' the statement said.
'In the course of the eviction process, the idol of the makeshift Mandap was immersed in the nearby Balu River, in due reverence, with the participation of the members of the local Hindu community,' the statement said.
The removal of unauthorised structures to recover government land is a 'regular and lawful administrative activity'.
The statement added, '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.'
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