Don’t hold gatherings on Janmashtami

Hindu community leaders yesterday requested all of its members to refrain from arranging any mass gathering like procession and rally on the occasion of Janmashtami, the celebration of Sri Krishna's birth.

This year's Janmashtami, one of the major festivals of the Hindu community of the country, will be celebrated on August 11.

The leaders made the request to prevent the risk of spreading coronavirus. They were speaking at a views-exchange meeting with journalists at Dhakeswari National Temple yesterday, said a press release.

They also urged management committees of all the temples across the country to take sufficient safety measures in celebrating any religious programme.

Besides, all the devotees, who will visit temples, are requested to maintain social distance and to follow government's safety guidelines during this pandemic.

The Hindus also demanded that the government celebrate the Janmashtami as a national programme.

Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad president Milon Kanti Datta and general secretary Nirmal Kumar Chatterjee,  addressed the views-exchange meeting, among others.