The Lord Ganesh idol in CBI uniform drew the wrath of Bajrang Dal leading cops to bar it from public display and (above) a pandal displaying news headlines of various scams, at Unit-II in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 29: Police saw red, but the CBI that is on the hot trail of fraudsters who duped investors of crores of rupees in Odisha, should feel nothing short of flattered.

This idol of the elephant god, dressed up in a police uniform with a peak cap completing his makeover, at a theme pandal opposite Unit VIII DAV School in Nayapalli attracted visitors in hordes.

The pandal was the star attraction till the police decided to crackdown around afternoon following protests from Bajrang Dal and screened off the idol, which also carried a police baton in one hand and had a balding politician sitting near it pleading for mercy.

The pandal was plastered with posters of imaginary money deposit collection companies and depicted how they have fleeced investors of their money.

With little doubt that the ongoing CBI probe against money deposit collection companies had fired the imagination of the artists, devotees flocked to it in droves.

But police played the spoilsport. Arriving at the scene in the afternoon, they forced the organisers to down the shutters on the pandal that they declared, hurt the sentiments of a section of people.

“The organisers have not sought permission from us to organise the puja on the road side. Besides, the way they have depicted Lord Ganesh is likely to hurt the religious sentiments of a large section of people,” said Nayapalli police station officer in-charge K.C. Mund. The police also had a brush with photojournalists taking the pictures of the idol. Demanding action against the erring officials, the photojournalists staged a protest on the road. Later, Mund intervened and assured to suspend the erring cops.

The organisers of the puja were crest-fallen following the police action, which they thought was unnecessary and unwarranted.

“Our intention was to expose corruption and to depict CBI’s drive against financial scamsters. But the Bajrang Dal took offence and police intervened,” said Ardhendu Harichandan, one of the organisers.

This, of course, was not the only pandal on the corruption theme. There was another designed in the shape of the state’s map that was decorated with posters on various scandals, including grabbing of 100 acres of land in Ghangapatna on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar and rampant black-marketing of potatoes. One of the tallest statues of Lord Ganesh was put up at a pandal in Unit-IV. Here, both the Hindus and Muslims joined hands to celebrate the puja. Over 50 clubs also observed Ganesh Puja with much fanfare in Cuttack.

A 20ft sand art replica of Lord Ganesh based on ‘Go Green’ campaign by Panchayat Club on Cantonment road and another 11ft sand sculpture of Lord Ganesh at Nuapada created by artist Manmohan Mahapatra were the centres of attraction this year.

On the other hand, the threat of a possible drought has not dampened Nuakhai fervour in Balangir and Sonepur and other districts in west Odisha. All the districts are set to celebrate Nuakhai on Saturday.