Tarique visits JM Sen Hall Puja mandap in Chattogram
M R Amin, Chattogram
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited the historic JM Sen Hall Durga Puja mandap in Chattogram on Tuesday night, where he was welcomed by Hindu religious leaders and members of the community.
He arrived at the mandap at 8:20pm and was received by Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad Chattogram Metropolitan President Prof Arpan Banerjee, General Secretary Advocate Nikhil Kumar Nath, Janmashtami Udjapan Parishad Executive Secretary Biplab Dey Partha and Hindu Religious Welfare Trust Trustee Rajib Dhar Tamal, among others.
The Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad’s Chattogram metropolitan unit has been organising Durga Puja at JM Sen Hall for the past 40 years.
The Parishad leaders said this was the first time a sitting prime minister has visited the venue during Durga Puja celebrations.
The Prime Minister’s visit created a festive atmosphere among members of the Hindu community, many of whom stood along both sides of the road and welcomed him with traditional ululation.
Located in the Rahmatganj area of the port city, the historic Jatindra Mohan Sen Gupta (JM Sen) Hall is one of the major centres of Sharadiya Durga Puja celebrations in Chattogram.
The festival is organised here centrally every year, turning the venue into a meeting place for people from different walks of life through religious rituals and cultural programmes.
Jatindra Mohan Sen Gupta established the hall in 1920 in memory of his father, Jatindra Mohan Sen Gupta. The historic site has close links with the anti-British movement, political struggles and progressive cultural activities.
Earlier, Tarique Rahman arrived at Chattogram’s Shah Amanat International Airport aboard a military aircraft at 7:40pm from Rajshahi’s Shah Makhdum Airport before heading directly to the mandap.
Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs Minister Sachia Pru Jerry, State Minister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin and Chattogram City Corporation Administrator Shahadat Hossain welcomed him at the airport.
