The Pulse | Society | South Asia

What Does Durga Puja Tell Us About Minorities in Bangladesh?

The largest Hindu religious festival went off smoothly – a credit to the new BNP government.

Bangladeshi Prime Minster Tarique Rahman poses for a selfie with celebrants during a visit to the historic Dharmasabha Puja Mandap in Rangpur, northern Bangladesh, on the occasion of Maha Navami of Durga Puja, Oct. 20, 2026.

Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of Bengali Hindus, ended on October 21, and Hindus celebrated the festival peacefully in the Muslim-majority country without any major incidents. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government passed its first major test of communal harmony since taking office in early 2026. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also drew attention by visiting puja pandals in several divisional cities outside Dhaka, becoming the first Bangladeshi prime minister to do so. 

Beyond the celebrations, this year’s Durga Puja highlighted a significant shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape. The long-held perception that religious minorities are safer under the Awami League now appears to be on the verge of breaking down.

Durga Puja is celebrated on a large scale in both Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian state of West Bengal. West Bengal has around 70 million Hindus among its population of roughly 100 million, and nearly 58,000 puja pandals were set up across the state this year. Bangladesh, meanwhile, has about 13.1 million Hindus but hosted 33,851 puja pandals, around 1,500 more than last year. This means Bangladesh had more puja pandals relative to its Hindu population than West Bengal.

This was the first Durga Puja celebrated under the BNP government, which came to power in February this year. As a result, the festival carried significance beyond that of a religious celebration. In particular, it represented a test of the new government’s ability, political will, and commitment to ensure the security of religious minorities.

Some untoward incidents have occurred during the festival over the years. This year was no exception in the period leading up to the formal commencement of the festivities, with several incidents reported in different parts of the country. Given the precarious law and order situation, there were concerns that such incidents might escalate. 

Nevertheless, the BNP government successfully met the challenge of ensuring that Durga Puja was celebrated peacefully. 

Representatives of the Hindu community had long demanded three days of public holidays for Durga Puja. During the Awami League’s rule, there was one public holiday on Bijaya Dashami. Following the political transition in 2024, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus increased the holiday to two days.

This year, the BNP government extended it to three days. With public holidays from October 20 to 22 followed by the weekly holidays on October 23 and 24, people enjoyed a continuous five-day break.

The government also allocated more financial assistance than requested to encourage a festive atmosphere during the celebrations. While the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust sought 40 million Bangladesh taka for Durga Puja, the government allocated 50 million. Similarly, for the Buddhist community’s Kathina Civara Dana, the government allocated 30 million taka against a request for 20 million. The significance lay not in the amount of money but in the message conveyed by the government.

Netizens described this year’s Durga Puja as having been celebrated with unprecedented security arrangements and a festive atmosphere.

The End of the Hindu Vote Bank?

On October 20, during Durga Puja, Rahman visited puja pandals in the capital, Dhaka, and three other divisional cities: Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Chittagong. Rahman exchanged greetings with members of the Hindu community and listened to their concerns. 

Earlier, in his Durga Puja greetings message on October 16, Rahman urged Hindus to celebrate the festival with joy and confidence, free from fear. He emphasized religious harmony, mutual respect, and equal rights for all citizens, regardless of their faith. “Religion belongs to individuals, while the state belongs to all,” Rahman said, stressing that ensuring everyone’s security is a responsibility of the state. He also spoke of building a safe and inclusive Bangladesh where people of all religions and communities can live with dignity.

These comments were significant in Bangladesh’s political context. Many have historically viewed a large section of the Hindu community as supporters of the Awami League. In contrast, there have long been attempts to portray the BNP as a relatively conservative political party, which has previously formed alliances with Jamaat-e-Islami, though the BNP, as a party, believes in liberal democracy.

On October 16, while visiting a puja pandal in Dhaka’s Banani area, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told members of the Hindu community, “You do not need to be anyone’s vote bank.” He urged them to make political decisions based on their civil rights, religious freedom, and constitutional entitlements. Ahmed also remarked that various political parties had exploited the Hindu community for political gain in the past.

His statement carries considerable significance in Bangladesh’s political landscape. Although the Awami League has been perceived as a relatively safe political refuge for minorities, numerous instances of attacks and discrimination against minority communities occurred during the party’s long tenure in power. These include the attacks on the Buddhist community in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, in 2012;........

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