Silchar: The banks of Kushiyara river, which separates India and Bangladesh along Sribhumi district, came alive on Wednesday as thousands of devotees gathered on both sides of the international border for the immersion of Durga idols on Vijayadashami.The celebrations presented a spectacle of shared cultural traditions, with devotees from Sribhumi and Bangladesh’s Zakiganj immersing idols in the same river.Immersion began at Kalibari Ghat in Sribhumi town at 11am, while the ceremony commenced at Customs Ghat in Zakiganj upazila of Bangladesh’s Sylhet district at 3pm.According to reports from across the border, 95 Durga Pujas were organised in Zakiganj this year, comprising 93 community pujas and two family pujas. Most of the idols were immersed in Kushiyara.Unlike in previous years, Customs Ghat in Zakiganj witnessed particularly enthusiastic celebrations, with puja organisers, political leaders, security personnel and members of the Hindu and Muslim communities gathering for the occasion.Devotees danced to traditional drumbeats and sang devotional songs as the idols were carried to the river. Large crowds gathered along both banks, extending the festive atmosphere across the international boundary.During the celebrations, a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader, addressing a gathering over a public-address system in Zakiganj, claimed that Durga Puja had passed off peacefully across Sylhet division and the rest of Bangladesh without any untoward incident.He attributed the peaceful celebrations to the liberal approach of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s BNP govt and stringent security arrangements. His remarks were audible from the Indian side.On the Sribhumi side, hundreds of devotees and puja organisers thronged Kalibari Ghat as idols arrived from different pandals amid religious chants and drumbeats.The simultaneous celebrations on both sides of Kushiyara gave the immersion ceremony a distinctive cross-border character, reflecting the shared cultural heritage of communities living along the border.Meanwhile, idol immersion ceremonies were held across Barak Valley’s three districts — Cachar, Sribhumi and Hailakandi — marking the culmination of the Durga Puja festivities.More than 2,500 community Durga Pujas were organised across the valley this year, including nearly 400 in Silchar town and around 550 in greater Silchar.In Silchar, immersion began at Sadarghat on Barak river around 11am. Devotees, particularly those from families organising household pujas, gathered at the ghat with idols accompanied by traditional drumbeats and religious rituals.The Cachar district administration deployed police personnel and strengthened security arrangements at the immersion ghats to regulate crowds, monitor proceedings and prevent accidents.
