Palashbari (Gaibandha) Correspondent

A harmony rally was held in Palashbari, Gaibandha at the initiative of the Upazila administration to maintain communal harmony, strengthen mutual coexistence and maintain social peace.

The rally was held at 11 am on Wednesday at the Upazila Parishad Hallroom. At the same time, a protest rally was held in opposition to the under-construction Ram idol at the Sri Sri Radha Govinda and Kali temple in Madhya Ramchandrapur village of Hossainpur union in the Chowmatha area of Palashbari municipality. The name of an organization that introduced itself as “Gaibandha-Palashbari’s general public” was mentioned as the organizer of the rally.
Various religious, social, political and administrative figures participated in the harmony rally held at the Upazila Parishad Hallroom. The speakers stressed the importance of various statements circulating on social media surrounding Sri Sri Radha Govinda and Kali Mandir President Haridas Chandra Tarnidas of Madhya Ramchandrapur village of Hossainpur Union No. 2 of the upazila, the questions raised about the transparency of his income and expenditure, and the need to avoid any kind of communal tension arising from these issues.

The speakers said that the truth of the allegations should be verified through an impartial investigation by the administration and necessary legal measures should be taken so that the long-standing communal harmony and social peace of the area is not disturbed due to any person or incident.

The rally held under the chairmanship of UNO Sheikh Jaber Ahmed was attended by the chief guest, Member of Parliament for Gaibandha-3 (Palashbari-Sadullapur) constituency, Principal Maulana Nazrul Islam Lebu. Assistant Superintendent of Police (C-Circle) Sohanur Rahman Sohag, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Al Yasa Rahman Tapader, Upazila BNP President Md. Abdus Samad Mondal, Upazila Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Abu Bakkar Siddique, General Secretary of Municipal BNP Moshfequr Rahman Ripon and President of Upazila Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council Dilip Chandra Saha were present at the time.

Local dignitaries, representatives of different classes and professions and media workers were present. The speakers called for further strengthening the culture of mutual respect, tolerance and harmony regardless of religion and caste.

On the other hand, at the same time, in the protest rally held against the under-construction Ram idol in Palashbari Chowmatha area, the speakers claimed that the construction of a huge Ram idol could cause controversy and tension locally. They demanded the administration's immediate intervention and investigation in this regard.

The speakers demanded an investigation into the development activities of the temple and the source of funding for the construction of the idol. They said that various discussions and questions have been raised on social media regarding these issues, which need to be verified impartially. The participants of the rally raised various slogans demanding a ban on the construction of idols.

Muhammad Tarifur Rahman, Marjuk and Ainul Haque spoke on behalf of the organization at the rally.

According to local observers, the issue has sparked widespread discussion in the area as two separate programs were held on the same day calling for maintaining harmony and opposing the construction of a Ram idol. However, speakers at both programs emphasized the need for an impartial investigation and legal action by the administration so that the communal harmony and peaceful environment of the area remain intact.

Recently, there has been widespread discussion on social media about the ongoing development activities, infrastructure expansion and the under-construction Ram idol at the Sri Sri Radha Govinda and Kali temples in Madhya Ramchandrapur village of Hossainpur union of Palashbari upazila. Various people have raised questions about the temple's development project, source of funding, property management and administrative issues.

On the other hand, temple president Haridas Chandra Tarnidas has claimed on social media at various times that the temple's development activities are being carried out through his personal income and donations from devotees.

Although there has been disagreement on the matter locally, the results of the formal investigation have not been released by the administration so far. According to the concerned quarters, an impartial investigation and legal resolution of the matter will be helpful in maintaining harmony and peaceful environment in the area.