DHAKA, PAKISTAN, October 17, 2001: Prime Minister Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh has said that personnel of the Bangladesh Rifles will be deployed if necessary to ensure that the Hindu community’s biggest festival, Durga Puja, which begins next week, passes off peacefully. Khaleda’s instruction came in the wake of the reported vandalism of Durga Puja venues and attacks on Hindus and their property across the country. The festival organizers had earlier resolved to celebrate Durga Puja in a subdued manner to protest against the atrocities on Hindus before and after the October 1 general election, which Khaleda’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies won. Most Hindus traditionally support the BNP’s rival, the Awami League.
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