Police have issued a set of safety guidelines for organisers, visitors and others concerned to ensure that Durga Puja is celebrated in a safe, peaceful and festive atmosphere.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, police have urged people to verify information before sharing it on social media and refrain from spreading misleading or unverified reports. The public has also been advised not to like, comment on or share information without confirming its authenticity.
Besides, organisers have been advised to arrange separate entry and exit points for male and female visitors and discourage people from entering puja mandaps with bags, sacks or bundles.
The guidelines also call for installing CCTV cameras and fire extinguishers at mandaps, setting up archway gates at important venues and ensuring adequate lighting at puja mandaps and idol immersion sites.
Organisers have been asked to arrange standby generators or rechargeable lights where possible.
Volunteers should be deployed to help maintain security. To ensure easy identification, they should wear distinct uniforms, carry visible identity cards and use armbands bearing the word “Volunteer”, it added.
Police have called on people to respect the religious sentiments of followers of other faiths and maintain communal harmony throughout the celebrations.
The use of sound systems at puja mandaps near mosques should be restricted during the call to prayer and prayer times, as well as during idol immersion, according to the guidelines.
People have also been advised to refrain from setting off fireworks and firecrackers during the celebrations.
To ensure normal traffic movement, organisers and participants have been asked to follow designated routes during idol immersion and complete the process at locations specified by the local administration.
Police have provided the following emergency contact numbers for assistance during the Durga Puja celebrations.
Police headquarters control room: 02223380661, 02223381967, 01320001299, 01320001300.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP): 02223355500, 01817602050.
Dhakeshwari Temple central control room: 029611353, 01705505529.
SRB control room: 0177772009.
Fire service control room: 02223355555, 01713038181, 01713038182, 01730336699.
People can also call the toll-free national emergency service at 999, which operates round the clock, for assistance from the police, ambulance services and fire service.
For contact details of district police superintendents and officers-in-charge (OCs) of police stations, the public has been advised to visit the Bangladesh Police website.
