Bengali NY cancelled at Chittagong area for first time in 47 years over vandalism

DHAKA: Bengali new year celebrations in Chittagong's DC Hill area were abruptly cancelled after unidentified individuals vandalised banners, festoons, and side stages set up for Monday's event. This marks the first time in 47 years that the event - Poila Boishakh - was not held at DC Hill due to such disruption.

According to witnesses, a group of 30-40 people arrived in a procession on Sunday evening, chanting slogans like "accomplices of fascists, beware!" and "agents of Awami League, beware!"

They then destroyed parts of the venue. Organisers then suspended all scheduled programme in protest. Event coordinator Sucharit Das Khokon said organisers faced several challenges over the past two days while preparing for the celebrations. "At the last moment, the district administration gave us a list of 23 organisations, instructing us not to allow them to perform. And then, just before the event, this act of vandalism took place," he said.

Chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, on the occassion, urged citizens to unite in building a peaceful, inclusive and prosperous Bangladesh. "Let building a Bangladesh without discrimination be our commitment in this Bangla New Year," he said in a message.

Meanwhile, ousted PM Sheikh Hasina slammed the Yunus govt over the incident. "Today, anti-liberation forces have illegally seized power in Bangladesh. They are actively trying to destroy Bengali culture," she said in a statement. "Whenever anti-independence forces gained control in the past, they attacked the nation's history, heritage, and culture. They not only tried to stop the Mangal Shobhajatra but even attempted to change its name," she added. "On this auspicious moment of Bengali New Year, let us commit to rejecting all that is unhealthy, ugly, or part of a distorted culture - and instead, embrace a healthy, beautiful, and creative way of life," Hasina said.

This year, govt renamed the traditional 'Mangal Shobhajatra' procession, a central attraction of Poila Boishakh celebrations, as 'Anondo Shobhajatra' after conservative Islamist groups like Hefazat-e-Islam called the 'Mangal Shobhajatra' a "Hindu ritual" and urged govt to change its name.