KOLKATA: Prominent public figures in West Bengal, including educationists, theatre personalities, writers, film actors, directors, political leaders have issued an appeal to the Sheikh Hasina government to track those involved in the vandalism at Durga Puja pandals and temples in Bangladesh and punish these elements.
In the open letter issued on Sunday night, over 60 signatories pointed out with regret that "members of Hindu community" in Bangladesh could not celebrate their biggest festival Durga Puja smoothly in many places in the wake of incidents of attack and untoward incidents at different Durga Puja pandals."
"Certainly a bigger disaster has been averted by the prompt response of Bangladesh government and police, but the attempt by forces opposed to the liberal, non-communal thinking of Bangobondhu, illuminated by the 71 liberation war, has disturbed the conscious people, who are believers of humanity," the letter said.
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Observing the responsibility to protect the life, property and right to practice own religion of minority rests on the majority community, the signatories noted with concern "lapse in ensuring this security in both India and Bangladesh."
The signatories include educationist Pabitra Sarkar, CPI(M) Politburo member Md Salim, former Kolkata Mayor Bikash Bhattacharya theatre personality Deb Shankar Halder, writer Nabakumar Basu, theatre personality Koushik Sen, filmmaker Kamaleswar Mukhopadhyay, actors Parambrata Chatterjee, Riddhi Sen, Ritwik Chakroborty, among others.