State-Sponsored Assault on Hindu Traditions in Bangladesh: Kushtia and Natore Administrations Force Covering of Asur Faces During Durga Puja

Hindu Voice Team: What began as Durga Puja preparations in Kushtia and Natore has turned into a disgraceful episode of religious interference. In a shocking directive, local administrations ordered Hindu organizers to cover the faces of Asurs in Durga Puja Mandap because they had beards and mustaches. The excuse? Such features could “cause misunderstanding.” This hollow justification exposes nothing but the ugly truth—an administration bending over backwards to appease majoritarian sentiments while trampling Hindu cultural and religious freedoms.

At least 38 mandaps in Kushtia and several others in Natore were subjected to this authoritarian order. Police and officials descended on Puja venues and bluntly told organizers: “The Asur’s face cannot stay like this.” With no choice, organizers were forced to wrap sacred Murtis with cloth, humiliating both their faith and their artistry.

“This is not communal harmony, this is coercion,” thundered one organizer.

“Our scriptures describe demons as terrifying figures—beards and mustaches are part of that traditional portrayal. Now the administration wants to dictate how our Asurs should look? This is nothing but an assault on Hinduism itself.”

Artists, whose creativity was mutilated under official orders, are equally livid.

“They forced us to disfigure our own work. It is like erasing our culture with state-backed censorship. This is vandalism by the administration, sanctioned and executed under the pretext of ‘peace,’” said a furious sculptor.

The government’s claim of maintaining “communal harmony” rings hollow. In reality, this directive reeks of appeasement politics and institutionalized discrimination. It sets a dangerous precedent where Hindu traditions are policed, censored, and rewritten to fit a political narrative.

Social media is ablaze with outrage. Netizens ask: “If even the depiction of Asurs must get government approval, what freedom is left for Hindus?” Others bluntly accuse the state of double standards, questioning whether such interference would ever be tolerated in the rituals of the majority.

By bowing to imaginary fears, the Kushtia and Natore administrations have betrayed their constitutional duty of neutrality. Instead of protecting minority rights, they have chosen to undermine them. This is not about harmony—it is about submission.

At a sacred time meant for joy and devotion, the Hindu community has been served insult and humiliation. The administration’s action is more than a local scandal—it is a chilling warning that Hindu faith and culture can be censored at will, and the state will be complicit.