The Inter Religious Council in Suriname (IRIS) has demanded an apology from the administration of President Chandrikapersad Santokhi for the controversial incident that took place on the Independence Square on Monday, March 25th, 2024. It made it clear that an unpleasant incident occurred during an event that was organized to celebrate the phagwa festival. The IRIS deems it regrettable that this event was organized on a national holy day. It also made it clear that many Surinamese citizens are currently fasting and that this incident is unacceptable. “We do not want to violate the freedom of the people but urge the government to make sure that such events are not labeled as religious feasts. To make matters worse the incident occurred on the Independence Square which symbolizes national unity and other moral values. We request that you should refrain from giving organizations permission to use the Independence Square for such events,” said the IRIS before reminding the president that the Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha Suriname had already made a similar request in a letter that was sent on February 12th, 2024. Meanwhile the organization behind the Phagwa Festival has already apologized. The IRIS consists of the Roman Catholic Diocese Paramaribo, the Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha Suriname association, the Arya Dewaker association, the Majlis Muslims Suriname and the Surinamese Islamic Association…[+]