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Bangladesh bans vuvuzela from Bengali New Year procession

Xinhua, April 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Bangladesh has banned vuvuzela, the popular South African horns, from the most colorful procession, the Mangal Shobha Jatra, in the capital Dhaka.

Hundreds of thousands of people, irrespective of caste, color, sex and religion, as part of celebrating the Bengali New Year, which falls on April 14, are expected to join the procession with a combination of traditional and modern practices.

They usually carry large symbolic figures of fishes, horses, tigers and elephants, all made from bamboo, and play Bangladeshi musical instruments during the Mangal Shobha Jatra, a colorful parade seeking welfare of all, which will be brought out by the students of the Fine Arts Institute of Dhaka University.

After meeting the law enforcers on Sunday morning, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told journalists that vuvuzela, masks matches and lighters have been banned at this year's Mangal Shobha Jatra.

Sources said the South African horns, which were brought to Bangladesh after the 2010 Soccer World Cup, and their loud, suffocating noises in the recent years deterred usual chanting that accompanies the main Bengali New Year procession in capital Dhaka.

Apart from this, the minister said all New Year events have to be completed by 5:00 p.m. local time.

Sources said authorities have taken various measures to ensure peaceful the New Year celebrations in the wake of last year's most unpleasant incident.

The joyous celebration of the Bengali New Year was marred by a mass sexual assault against a group of women on the campus of Dhaka University last year.

Some 30 to 40 rowdy youths assaulted and sexually harassed around 20 women at the gate of Dhaka's lush green Suhrawardy Udyan Park while the women were returning home late afternoon after celebrating the New Year along with family members and friends.

The incident caused a massive show of indignation and anger throughout the county. A barrage of protests and calls for the government to bring about justice for the victims were posted on social media.

Security will be tightened in the capital on the occasion of the Bengali New Year, and strict safety measures will also be taken in the rest of the country to prevent any disturbance of the new year festivities. Endit