Malda, Oct. 1: The organisers of a Durga puja here have found themselves in the deep end with the district administration asking them to remodel the idols which resemble the Buddha.

Abhijan Sangha, located in the town’s Maheshmati area, has a tradition of modelling their Durga idols to look different each year. For the past several years, the clay modelling has been done by Rajkumar Pandit. This year, barring Ganesha, all the idols resemble the Buddha.

The photographs of these novel idols were published in several newspapers, drawing the attention of the Darjeeling-based Boudhya Kalyan Parishad. The organisation wrote a letter to the Malda district magistrate, protesting against the display of the idol. Copies of the letter were sent to the chief minister as well and the chairman of the state minority commission.

“The manner in which the likeness of the Buddha is being used for Durga puja reeks of bad taste. Buddhism is a separate religion and the sentiments of the people, not only in north Bengal bu,t the entire country, will be hurt,” the letter written by parishad secretary Paresh Barua said.

After receiving the letter, district magistrate Ashok Bala asked police superintendent Pankaj Dutta to see to it that the idol was re-modelled. Yesterday, a large police force from Englishbazar police station arrived at Abhijan Sangha and asked the organisers to change the likeness of the idol.

This morning, the artisans were busy reconstructing the face of the idol. They were giving Durga and the other idols long tresses of hair and making other changes as well.

“I wanted to depict Durga as a symbol of peace and wanted to surprise the visitors. I had not dreamt that my efforts would be so controversial, I am now at a loss to figure out how to make these changes at the last moment,” Pandit said.

The puja committee has not taken this lightly. Abhijan Sangha secretary Ramchandra Pal and president Subrata Saha pointed out that Boudhya Kalyan Parishad, had written to the district magistrate on September 12 but did not inform them.

“It was only when everything was complete that the district magistrate told us that they would not grant permission for the puja to be organised and if the idols were not changed, we would be arrested,” said Saha.

In fact, the entire Maheshmati area is supporting the club.

“If the situation so demands, we will drape the idols in black cloth and have a symbolic puja,” Saha said. He said he and the members of the club were insisting that permission or not, the idols would not be removed from the pandal.

“I have told the puja committee that under the Constitution, no one can hurt the religious sentiments of anybody, if they do not comply we will take action according to the law,” said Bala.

Police superintendent Pankaj Dutta said he had sent word to the puja committee as soon as the district magistrate told him. “We are closely monitoring the manner in which they are making the changes,” Dutta said.