4 lakh security personnel deployedDurga Puja begins with Maha Shashti in BD

Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community, has begun across the country amid due religious fervour and festivity.

The 5-day celebration began with invocation of Goddess Durga on the day of Maha Shasthi. This year Durga Puja is being celebrated at 31566 mandaps across the country.

Draped in new dresses, a large number of devotees irrespective of ages thronged the city puja mandaps including the Dhakeshwari National Temple and Ram Krishna Mission and offered prayers before Goddess Durga, seeking divine blessings for peace, prosperity and welfare of the country and its people.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Saturday extended heartfelt greetings to the Hindu community across the country on the occasion of Durga Puja, the biggest and most significant religious festival of the community.

"On this auspicious occasion of Durga Puja, I warmly greet all Hindu citizens of Bangladesh," Prof. Yunus said in a message on the eve of the festival.

He highlighted that the destruction of evil forces and the celebration of truth and beauty are the core themes of the Sharadiya Durgotsab.

No security threat during Durga Puja: Home Adviser

Ahead of Durga Puja, security has been significantly ramped up nationwide. Home Affairs adviser Lt Gen (retired) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said there is no security threat over the Durga Puja celebrations.

"A total of 2,03,564 Ansar personnel have been deployed centering the Durga Puja. Apart from them, 70,000 police personnel, one lakh armed forces personnel, and 430 platoons of BGB have been engaged to ensure peaceful and joyous celebrations of the Durga Puja," he said.

Adequate security measures have been taken at 33,000 puja mandaps across the country to ensure security, he added.

He was speaking to journalists after coming out of the Core Committee meeting on law and order at the Home Ministry in Bangladesh Secretariat here.

To make the security foolproof, intelligence surveillance has been increased around risky puja mandaps across the country, he added.

He highlighted that the destruction of evil forces and the celebration of truth and beauty are the core themes of the Sharadiya Durgotsab.

Security has been strengthened at all puja mandaps through close coordination among the Puja Celebration Committees, police, and Ansar members.

The Mahalaya, the auspicious occasion heralding the advent of the Goddess Durga, was celebrated on September 21.