‘No room for rumours, communal hatred’
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday cautioned that certain quarters were spreading rumours in various forms to destabilize the country, urging citizens to remain vigilant against misinformation and attempts to provoke unrest through social media, and warning that no communal provocation or hatred should be allowed to disturb social stability.
“Some people are spreading rumours in various ways to destabilise the country.
Some are trying to incite people through social media,” he said while exchanging greetings with members of the Hindu community at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital, on the occasion of Janmashtami.
Janmashtami, one of the principal festivals of the Hindu community marking the birth of Lord Sri Krishna, is being observed across the country on Friday with religious fervour.
Tarique assured that his government remains committed to ensuring the security of every citizen, irrespective of caste or creed.
He said Bangladesh belongs to all its people and that every citizen enjoys equal rights, adding that each person has a constitutional right to practice their own faith and culture.
He said both the government and the BNP hold the view that while religion is a personal matter, the state belongs to everyone. “Religion is individual, but everyone has the right to security,” he said.
The prime minister called on all citizens to further strengthen religious harmony, tolerance, mutual respect and communal goodwill, reiterating this appeal directly on the occasion of Janmashtami.
He extended wishes for peace, comfort and security to the Hindu community in observing their festivals, and offered advance greetings for the upcoming Durga Puja, urging that all festivals be celebrated peacefully and safely.
Tarique described the coexistence of people of different faiths and beliefs within a single society as the hallmark of its diversity, noting that communities in Bangladesh had historically lived together with mutual respect and harmony while practising their respective religions and cultures.
He said, however, that at various points in history, individuals bearing the character of Kamsa – the tyrannical king of Mathura in Hindu mythology – had attempted to sow and prolong division and conflict within the state and society.
He called on all citizens to stay alert so that such anti-social forces could not resurface or disrupt the existing climate of communal harmony, stressing that preserving mutual goodwill in society is the responsibility of every citizen.
Drawing on the Krishna narrative to underscore his message, Tarique noted that Krishna was born in Mathura around 5,500 years ago, at a time when the city was ruled by Kamsa, described in Hindu tradition as a cruel and authoritarian king.
He said that, according to Hindu belief, Krishna’s mission was centred on the destruction of evil and the protection of the righteous – a framing he used to draw a parallel with the need for vigilance against forces seeking to disrupt social harmony today.
The prime minister’s remarks come as the interim administration continues to face scrutiny over communal safety and the treatment of religious minorities since the political transition of the past year.
His appeal for tolerance and his direct warning against rumour-driven provocation reflect an effort to project reassurance to the Hindu community ahead of two major festivals – Janmashtami and Durga Puja – occurring within the same season.
