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Built on railway land without permission: Bangladesh clarifies on Durga temple demolition
While the railways extended the permission to build the mandap, the agreement was to remove it after Durga Puja celebrations which the organisers violated.
Bangladesh government on Friday clarified the circumstances around the demolition of a Durga temple in Dhaka’s Khilkhet area which led to protests held by minority organisations. The government stated that the temple was built without permission on land owned by Bangladesh Railways.
According to the foreign ministry, the makeshift puja mandap was set up by a local Hindu community during Durga Puja last year without permission, news agency ANI reported.
While the railways extended the permission to build it, the agreement was to remove it after the celebrations which the organisers violated.
Repeated reminders given to organisers
“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 report quoted the Bangladesh foreign ministry said in a statement.
Further, the ministry elaborated that despite the repeated reminders, organisers made the mandap permanent and went against the arrangement with the railways. The statement also highlighted that the Railways held consultations with the local community and issued a public notification “asking all concerned to remove all unauthorised installations, including vendors, hundreds of shops and political party offices, illegally built on either side of the rail tracks.”
The land on which the mandap was built is owned by Bangladesh Railways, according to the ministry, who has stated that 200 feet from the existing rail track is considered solely railway land. The statement also added that the land is needed to build two new rail tracks under a project
The government of Bangladesh said it is committed to safeguarding the rights of all communities and protecting places of worship. However, it also mentioned that constructing religious structures on public land without proper authorisation is not allowed. The official statement said that Bangladesh Railways had issued notices on June 24th and 25th, requesting the removal of all unauthorized structures and on June 26th, following due legal procedure, they peacefully removed all unauthorized installations along the rail tracks.
“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 ministry stated. The government stated that the removal of unauthorised structures to reclaim public land is a routine and lawful administrative action.
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) criticised Bangladesh’s interim government over the demolition, stating that the government failed in its duty to protect the temple and instead framed the incident as an issue of illegal land use. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Bangladesh government holds the responsibility to safeguard the Hindu community, along with their properties and religious institutions.
