Photo: Collected
The highest security arrangements have been put in place in Dhaka metropolis around the immersion of idols, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Joint Commissioner of Police (Operations) Md Shahidullah has said. More than 16,000 police members have been deployed at various places in the metropolis to complete the immersion activities smoothly. This time idols will be immersed at 33 points in Dhaka metropolis, of which the largest number will be in the Waizghat area.
He briefed journalists on the preparations for the immersion of idols at Palashi intersection on Wednesday. The joint commissioner of police said more than about 16,000 police members are deployed at various places in Dhaka metropolis and the immersion activities will be held at 33 points of the metropolis. Among these places, the largest number of idols will be immersed in the Waizghat area itself.
Md Shahidullah said the procession will start from Dhakeshwari National Temple and end at Waizghat, and the immersion activities will be conducted there. The idols are already being placed at the designated spot to take part in the procession, and the procession will begin within a short while.
On the security arrangements, he said that alongside uniformed members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, the Detective Branch (DB), Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC), SRU, SWAT and the bomb disposal unit have been deployed. Besides, members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and SRB are also on security duty.
He further said Durga Puja is being held in Dhaka metropolis this time amid the highest security arrangements and no untoward incident of any kind has taken place anywhere so far. He expressed the hope that no negative incident would take place during the remaining time either.
The DMP official also said police are fully prepared to deal with any untoward situation should one arise; all necessary measures have been taken for this.
Appealing to the residents of Dhaka metropolis, Md Shahidullah said everyone should cooperate so that the Puja activities are completed with enthusiasm and fervour. He sought the cooperation of the city’s residents in the entire process of completing the Puja activities through the immersion of the idols.
Background
According to DMP figures, there are 257 Durga Puja pandals in the Dhaka metropolitan area this time, which are divided into four categories considering their importance and the number of visitors, and 2,072 additional officers were deployed beyond regular duty – bdnews24.com reported this on 16 October.
DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, describing this year’s Durga Puja as an ‘acid test’ for the police, had said all pandals in Dhaka metropolis would be under CCTV coverage and that SWAT, the crisis response team, the quick response team, crime scene vans and the bomb disposal unit would be kept ready – Dhaka Times 24 reported this on 6 October.
The numbers
According to information given by Bangladesh Ansar and VDP Director General Major General Abdul Motaleb Sajjad Mahmud, the number of registered pandals across the country this time is 33,165, of which 6,914 have been identified as important; 212,118 Ansar and VDP members were deployed for security – Dhaka Times 24 reported this on 15 October.
In 2025, the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and the Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee had reported 33,355 pandals and temples across the country, which was 1,894 more than the 31,461 of the previous year; that year 259 Pujas were held in Dhaka metropolis, against 252 the previous year – Prothom Alo reported this on 26 September 2025.
At a glance
Dhakeshwari National Temple is generally said to be about 800 years old; one account credits its establishment to King Ballal Sen (reign 1158-1179), another says King Mansingh rebuilt the temple, while the architectural style suggests the seventeenth century. A one-foot-high Durga idol is worshipped there all year round and is never immersed – Prothom Alo reported this information.
