Bangladesh Has 7.95% Hindus, Durga Puja Gets Five Days Off

Mobayedur Rahman

The Hindu community in Bangladesh has celebrated Sharadiya Durgotsab peacefully for the last 55 years. But during the Awami period, some Awami miscreants entered puja pandals as intruders and desecrated them. After doing this, they cleverly put the blame on the BNP and Jamaat. Their aim was to destroy the long standing Hindu Muslim harmony in Bangladesh. Sadly, a section of Hindu brothers fell into this trap of the Awami League. For years they were used as a vote bank of the Awami League.

After the July revolution, the Awami League was driven out of the country root and branch. But the remaining members, who stayed in hiding, plotted in secret for the last 2 years to destroy this harmony. They did not succeed. During the interim government of Dr. Yunus, the BNP and Jamaat all stayed awake at night and guarded the temples and idols of Hindu brothers at every festival. So the Awami secret force and the agents who came from outside did not succeed.

Look at the population of Bangladesh, West Bengal, Assam and India as a whole, and look at the holidays for Durga Puja and Eid. One thing will stand out sharply. On Eid holidays, the Indian government, the West Bengal government and the Assam government have all shown extreme narrow mindedness. The picture in Bangladesh is the opposite. The Sanatan community, that is the Hindu community, is smaller in proportion than the Muslims of India. Still, the Bangladesh government has shown great generosity in giving Puja holidays. The figures below prove this claim.

First, West Bengal. According to the religion based population table of the Indian census, the total population of West Bengal in 2011 was 91,276,115. The United Nations projection for 2026 is 100,631,000. In the 2011 census, the Muslim population was 24,654,825 out of 91,276,115. That means Muslims were 27.01 percent of the total population. In 2026, 27.01 percent of 100,631,000 comes to 27,180,000.

Note that Muslims are 27 percent of the whole population of West Bengal. Yet the holiday for the Hindus’ Durga Puja was 12 days. On the other hand, the main holiday for the 27 percent Muslims at Eid is only 1 day. That is 1 day for Eid ul Fitr and 1 day for Eid ul Azha. The state government, after special consideration, has arranged one more day of extra holiday. According to the West Bengal government gazette, the list of the 12 days of government holidays given for Puja in 2026 is as follows:

15 October Mahachaturthi. 16 October Mahapanchami. 17 October Mahashashthi. 18 October Mahasaptami. 19 October Mahashtami. 20 October Mahanabami. 21 October Bijoya Dashami. 22 and 23 October extra holidays for Durga Puja. 24 October extra holiday. 25 October Sunday. 26 October extra holiday for Lakshmi Puja.

Now look at the state of Bangladesh. According to the United Nations projection for 2026, the total population of Bangladesh is 177,818,044. The total Hindu population is 13,143,749. The Hindu share of the population is 7.95 percent. For this 7.95 percent of the people, the government gave 5 days of holiday for Durga Puja in 2026. Within these 5 days, an optional holiday was given on 18 and 19 October. That was Sunday and Monday, for Mahasaptami and Mahashtami.

The government holiday was on 20 and 21 October for Mahanabami and Bijoya Dashami. On 22 October, an extra holiday for Durga Puja was given by government executive order. So the Puja holiday was 5 days, from 18 October to 22 October, by optional holiday and executive order. Then 23 and 24 October were 2 days of weekly holiday. So this time the Hindu brothers got 7 days in a row for Durga Puja, counting the weekly holiday.

The state of Muslims’ holidays in Assam is even more pitiful. The estimated total population of Assam in 2026 is 36,815,000. The Muslim share is 34.22 percent. That means 12,598,000. One thing here deserves special notice. Muslims are 34.22 percent of the total population in Assam. Yet there, Muslims get only 1 day of Eid holiday. And Hindus get a total of 5 days of Puja holiday.

These 5 days are 17 October Mahasaptami, extra holiday. 18 October Kati Bihu and Durga Puja. 19 October Durga Puja. 20 October Durga Puja. 21 October Durga Puja.

The state of all India is also disappointing for Muslims. According to the United Nations projection for 2026, the total population of India is 1,476,625,577. The 2011 census said the share of Muslims was 14.02 percent. That means the Muslim population across India is 207 million. For Durga Puja, the central government across India gave 3 days of holiday. On the other hand, it gave only 1 day of holiday for Eid. Note that Muslims are 14.02 percent of the total population. Yet they had no optional holiday for Eid ul Fitr or Eid ul Azha.

Against this background, the Hindu population in Bangladesh is 7.95 percent, or 8 percent. Still, the 92 percent Muslim brothers of Bangladesh were not unhappy with a 5 day Puja holiday for them. Rather, in the last 55 years, it was this time, in 2026, that the Sanatani community of Bangladesh celebrated the biggest religious festival of their year in the safest and most peaceful way.

This is not only what we say. The Indian High Commissioner himself has said the same. High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi is a senior BJP leader. But he is a leader who changed parties. From 22 May 2009 to 13 July 2011, Dinesh Trivedi was State Minister for Health and Family Welfare in the central government of India. At that time he belonged to Ms. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. He served as a central state minister as Ms. Mamata Banerjee’s nominee.

From 13 July 2011 to 19 March 2012, he was Union Minister of the Railway Ministry, again as Ms. Mamata Banerjee’s nominee. On 6 March 2021, he joined the BJP in the presence of the All India BJP President Mr. J.P. Nadda.

Now, as a BJP leader, he is serving as High Commissioner in Bangladesh. Personally he is very close to Mr. Narendra Modi. When he has to tell the central government of India something urgent about Bangladesh, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi flies to Delhi within the shortest time. The next day he meets Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi directly and reports to him. He did the same during his last Delhi visit. But this time, besides Mr. Narendra Modi, he also met the Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth. It is not clear what the subject could be in a meeting between the Indian High Commissioner and the Indian Army Chief about Bangladesh. This high profile High Commissioner, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi, himself has said that the Durga Puja of Hindus in Bangladesh this time was celebrated in a very festive atmosphere.

The BNP government has a reasonable cause to be pleased that Durga Puja was completed peacefully. The time has come for Mr. Dinesh Trivedi and the Sanatan community of Bangladesh to understand why this year’s Puja was peaceful. The simple reason is this. The oppression that some people of the Sanatan community suffered in this country in the past was in fact done by the Awami League. The aim was to put the blame for that oppression on the BNP, Jamaat and the rightists, and so collect the Hindu vote. This time there was no trouble from the Awami League. So the situation was calm.

The people of Bangladesh hope that Mr. Dinesh Trivedi will tell this simple truth to the Delhi government. They hope he will try so that Delhi also understands this simple truth. If Delhi takes this undeniable truth to heart, the relations between Bangladesh and India will improve.