Staff Correspondent

On-duty Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) personnel successfully intervened in two separate incidents of unrest and violence at Durga Puja mandaps in Gazipur's Kaliakair and Barishal city, apprehending five individuals and handing them over to police. Three Ansar-VDP members sustained injuries during the confrontation in Gazipur.

At approximately 11:20 pm on Tuesday,  a group of four to five local youths began harassing female visitors and creating a disturbance at the Basakoir Sarbajanin Durga Temple mandap in Ward No. 4 of Phulbaria Union, Kaliakair Upazila, Gazipur. When security personnel attempted to intervene, the youths attacked them.

The assault injured Ansar-VDP Section Commander Asif and VDP members Sabbir and Junaid, whose uniforms were torn during the scuffle. Despite the attack, the personnel managed to detain one of the primary suspects, identified as Md. Akbar (23), and subsequently turned him over to the local police.

In a separate incident at around 11:40 pm on the same night near the Sree Sree Shankar Math Puja Mandap in the Natun Bazar area of Barishal city, a minor physical collision triggered a verbal altercation between three Hindu youths and four Muslim youths, which quickly escalated into a physical fight.

Section Commander Solaiman and VDP member Sohel Mia, who were deployed at the location, intervened promptly to de-escalate the situation and detained four individuals: Md. Safayet (18), Md. Shanto (20), Md. Ramzan (17), and Md. Hridoy Hawlader (18).

The suspects were handed over to patrolling officers from Barishal Kotwali Police Station upon their arrival at the scene. Local officials commended the quick response of Ansar-VDP members in maintaining order and ensuring the safety of devotees amidst large festival crowds.