Bangladesh Islamist party questions Hindu ritual of Bengali New Year’s Day

Bangladesh Islamist party Hefazat-e-Islam has labelled the Mongol Shobhajatra — a key element of Pahela Baishakh celebrations — as a Hindu ritual linked to Janmashtami, and called for the removal of the word "Mongol" (auspicious), suggesting it be replaced with "Ananda" (joyful).

In a statement on Thursday Hefazat's Amir Muhibbullah Babunagari and Secretary General Sajedur Rahman said Mongol Shobhajatra is rooted in Hindu traditions and has been falsely imposed on the public in the name of cultural inclusivity.

The leaders asserted that the procession mirrors what the Hindu community organises every year during Janmashtami to mark the birth of Lord Krishna. "We respect the right of minorities to celebrate their religious festivals," the statement read.


"But the forceful inclusion of this religious ritual in Pahela Baishakh, under the guise of so-called universality, is a form of cultural imposition."

Hefazat leaders urged the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to formally write to Unesco, demanding a review and correction of what they called a historical misrepresentation.