The fear of attacks by freshwater crocodiles during Mahalaya, when thousands of people gather at the river Bhagirathi for the holy tarpan, kept foresters on their toes on Sunday.

Foresters maintained robust surveillance and adopted measures such as bursting sound crackers near the surface of the river to ward off crocodiles.

The forest department, in collaboration with the district police and administration, deployed staff armed with fishing nets and firecrackers at the Malatipur bathing ghat in East Burdwan’s Kalna.

At the Mahishamardini ghat in the same area, a large stretch of the river was fenced with fishing nets, creating a divider in the water to safeguard those bathing in the river.

“As people in large numbers get down into the river and perform religious activities during Mahalaya, we leave no stone unturned to secure their safety from freshwater crocodiles, which are often spotted in the area,” said Sanchita Sharma, the divisional forest officer of East Burdwan.

“Though we do not have data on the exact number of crocodiles, as they freely move upstream and downstream, our staff spot them at least once every two or three months,” the DFO added.

According to multiple sources, sightings of freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) in the Bhagirathi, particularly around Kalna, have increased since 2021–22. As the reptiles move through the river, they often shift from one place to another.

The forest department regularly patrols long stretches of the Bhagirathi throughout the year and alerts bathers through a public announcement system. Patrolling and awareness campaigns intensified after a crocodile strayed out of the river and roamed through a ward in Kalna town in 2023.

After nearly six hours of effort, foresters captured the animal — an adult female, 9.5 feet long and weighing over 230kg. A forester said: “Both crocodiles and gharials are found in the Bhagirathi. While gharials usually don’t attack humans, crocodiles often do. As thousands, including the elderly, enter the river during Mahalaya to perform rituals, we were naturally concerned.”

State animal resources development minister and local MLA, Swapan Debnath, also took a dip at one of the ghats in the Bhagirathi, where foresters had fenced off part of the water with fishing nets.

From early Sunday morning, foresters set off firecrackers on the river to drive away any reptiles hiding near the banks.

“Besides using crackers, we also carried fishing nets so we could catch an animal immediately if it suddenly appeared near people,” another forester said.

Fortunately, Mahalaya passed without any untoward incident, bringing immense relief to the foresters.

Shyamapada Sinha, a devotee who came to bathe and perform rituals in the Bhagirathi, said the efforts of the forest department gave him the courage to take a dip.

“I am 72 years old, and we need to stand in the river for at least 15–20 minutes to perform tarpan rituals. Since there were reports of crocodile sightings, panic was on everyone’s mind. However, it was a great relief to see the boats with officials patrolling on the river as well as the firecrackers,” Sinha said.