Leaders of Mohanagar Puja Udjapan Committee yesterday sought law enforcers' constant vigilance at a few mandaps (worship pavilions) in the capital during the upcoming Durga Puja that begins on September 24.
The committee leaders met Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque at his office and made the appeal for Sutrapur, Kotwali, Dhanmondi and Hazaribag puja mandaps they consider as vulnerable to violence by land grabbers and local goons.
Sources said this year a total of 172 mandaps would be set up across the city.
Advocate Tapash Pal, general secretary of Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee, quoting the list of vulnerable mandaps prepared by intelligence department said 66 mandaps -- two mandaps in Ramna zone, nine at Lalbag, 28 in Wari, seven in Motijheel, four in Tejgaon, six in Mirpur, nine in Gulshan and one in Uttara -- are most vulnerable.
Assistant Commissioner Shyamal Mukherjee of DMP (PR) said there will be a central control room at Dhakeswari Mandir equipped with wireless sets, land and mobile phones which will co-ordinate and monitor the entire security system at different mandaps while several police patrol teams will discharge their duty round the clock in the city.
He said this year DMP commissioner decided to form security teams at each mandap comprised of the police personnel, Ansar and the committee members.
Advocate Tapash said they feel insecure as local goons and land grabbers made several attacks on the mandap committee leaders recently while protima (images of the goddes) crafting was going on.
Other leaders of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parisad and high officials from police attended the meeting.