The Hindu Rohingyas at the Kutupalang camp in Cox’s Bazar are celebrating Durga Puja amidst much pomp and festivities as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent them presents along with aid.

The Hindu Rohingyas started receiving new clothes along with extra food and various other items on Tuesday (Oct 6).
The PM has also ordered that extra security be ensured during the celebrations and that the Hindus face no inconvenience during the immersion of Durga on Bijoya Dashami.
“We have additional security in place for Durga Puja. Besides the police team, mobile teams and striking teams are constantly on alert,” said Cox’s Bazar district police superintendent ABM Masud Hossain.
During August last year approximately 495 Hindu Rohingyas took refuge in Bangladesh along with the Muslims to escape the persecution of the Myanmar military in Rakhine state.
As a result there have been no puja celebrations for them last year. However, this year they will be able to celebrate on a large scale in Bangladesh.
For more than a year, the government has been providing them with food, shelter, education and other aids.
“We have been getting all sorts of help from Bangladesh since we escaped from our homeland. We are delighted with the PM’s gifts,” said Shona Bala Rudra, a resident at the Ukhiya Kutpalang Hindu Rohingya Camp.
“We are able to celebrate Durga Puja in a much larger scale than in back home,” she added.
“The PM has given the Rohingyas shelter from a humanitarian point of view and are providing them with necessary aid to help them celebrate their religious festival,” said Ukhiya Upazila officer Md Nikaruzzaman.