Amid thousands of devotees who had gathered on the banks of the Mahananda river in Siliguri to offer prayers on the occasion of Chhath Puja on Tuesday morning, an unusual sight caught everyone’s attention.
A Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) councillor, Anita Mahato, reached the riverbank with what looked like bouncers or private security guards in tow.
Thereafter, Anita, the BJP councillor of ward 5, performed dandi, an act of atonement in which a person covers a distance by intermittently lying prostrate on ground, while being escorted by the security guards.
The incident took place in Ganganagar, an area under the councillor's ward.
Anita's “dandi" penance, surrounded by the group of bouncers, attracted the attention of the crowds.
The incident also sparked discussion in Siliguri’s civic and political circles, with many questioning the optics of a public representative appearing at a religious site under heavy personal security during a collective celebration of faith.
However, Anita appeared unfazed.
She maintained that she had no role in arranging the bouncers.
“I observed a 36-hour fast and performed all the rituals of Chhath Puja strictly as I had promised ‘Chhathi Maiya’ that if I get the opportunity to serve the people by winning the civic poll, I would strictly follow all Chhath Puja rituals,” Anita said.
“There are eight Chhath Puja organising committees in my ward. The Chhath Puja committee number two of Ganganagar arranged the bouncers, not me,” Anita added.
Sources said that the bouncers were positioned to manage the crowds and ensure the woman councillor’s safe movement through the huge and steadily rising gathering of people at the riverbank.
Gautam Deb, the Siliguri mayor, along with his deputy Ranjan Sarkar and other councillors, visited various ghats — including the Lalmohan Moulik Niranjan Ghat — from Monday evening through Tuesday morning to oversee the Chhath Puja celebrations and post-puja clean-up.
Mayor Deb, when asked for his comments on the special security arrangements for the BJP councillor's Chhath rituals, said: “Thousands of devotees came to offer their prayers here, but no one else required such escorts. A people’s representative should always act with maturity.”
The district BJP leadership, when contacted, declined to comment on the issue.
“We have seen a video on social media on it and we are looking into the matter,” said a BJP leader who didn’t want to be named.