International: Amid the reports of Hindu phobic incidents related to Durga Puja in Bangladesh, 17 people have been arrested. At the same time, about a dozen cases have been registered after Bangladesh witnessed about 35 untoward incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations across the country this month, the Dhaka police said.

The Dhaka Tribune reported quoting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Moinul Islam, “Since October 1, 35 incidents related to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations have occurred across the country, leading to 11 cases being filed, 24 general diaries (GD) registered, and 17 individuals arrested.”

'Mukut' gifted by PM Modi stolen

The report comes a day after a hand-crafted golden mukut (crown) was stolen from a Hindu temple in Bangladesh's southwestern Satkhira district. The stolen crown was gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021. India has expressed concern over the theft.

The Durga Puja festival began with an invocation of Goddess Durga on Wednesday. The celebrations would conclude with the immersion of Goddess Durga murtis on Sunday. The minority Hindu population in Bangladesh faced vandalism of their businesses, and properties and destruction of temples during the student-led violence that erupted following the ouster of PM Sheikh Hasina on August 5.

Islamic Revolution song on Durga Puja stage

Responding to a question about the attack in Chittagong, IGP Islam said, two people were arrested following a raid on Thursday and efforts were being made to ascertain the motive behind it. Earlier on Thursday, half a dozen men sang a song calling for Islamic revolution on the stage of a Durga Puja mandap in Chattogram's Jatra Mohan Sen Hall, about 250 km southeast of Dhaka, causing widespread outrage.