Bangladesh Hindus cut Durga Puja expense to fund aid for Rohingya

Cox Bazar: A heartwarming gesture of Bangladesh Hindus amid the ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Muslims has brought the ray of hope in Rohingya, as they decided Friday to cut the expenses of upcoming Durga Puja.

The money saved will be used providing relief to the refugees who poured into the country following the brutal violence in Myanmar.

Earlier, Khalsa aid from the Sikh community had reached to distribute langar and the basic amenities to the stranded Muslims who have nowhere to go despite the torrential rains and inundated camps.

Also Read: Sikhs again! Khalsa Aid reaches Myanmar; langar distributed

More than 420,000 Rohingyas fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State to evade atrocities against them. Reports suggest that the violence also forced some 800 Hindus in Rakhine State to take refuge in Bangladesh.

“Their mass exodus has unfolded a horrific humanitarian crisis (and so) we will stand by the persecuted refugees with assistance by saving during the Durga Puja festival,” general secretary of the apex Puja Celebration Council said, reported Hindustan Times.

He said Puja celebration committees across Bangladesh had been asked to save to set up a fund to provide relief for the Rohingya refugees.

Bangladesh has been overwhelmed by Rohingya Muslims since violence erupted in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar’s Rakhine state on August 25.

The Rohingya are regarded as illegal immigrants in Myanmar.