Organisers have been asked not to hold any light and sound show, laser display or any other event inside or outside the Santosh Mitra Square Durga Puja pandal, police have said in a letter sent on Tuesday.

The number of CCTV cameras will have to be increased and adequate directional and safety signage must be put up, the letter issued to the secretary of Santosh Mitra Square Sarbojonin Durgostav Committee added.

Sent by the officer-in-charge of the local Muchipara police station, the letter arrived within days of Sajal Ghosh, BJP councillor from Ward 50 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and chief patron of the Santosh Mitra Square Durga Puja, announcing that this year’s theme would be “Operation Sindoor”.

The puja at Santosh Mitra Square is one of the major crowd-pullers in Calcutta during the festival. Last year, several lakhs of pandal hoppers had visited the pandal to catch a glimpse of the Las Vegas Sphere, complete with LED screens and an 11D visual show.

The footfall was so high that it resulted in congestion across some parts of central and north Calcutta.

Titled “Compliance and Mitigation Measures for Santosh Mitra Square Sarbojonin Durgostav 2025,” the letter states that the celebration in 2024 had witnessed a “massive influx of devotees”.

“Unfortunately, owing to non-compliance with the guidelines issued to you, public safety was severely compromised. At one point, a near stampede situation arose, endangering lives,” the letter states.

The guidelines in the letter were divided into several sub-heads, including internal crowd movement, light and sound shows and hawkers/stalls near the exit.

“Last year, the movement of the visitors inside the pandal was extremely slow due to poor crowd management, leading to congestion. Proper passage must be created inside the pandal to facilitate smooth police movement and crowd dispersal,” the letter states.

Police have asked the Durga puja organisers to stay away from organising a light and sound show, and the letter explains the reason behind the curb.

“It was noted that light and sound show significantly restricted crowd flow,” the letter states and goes on to lay down a series of measures that must be adhered to this year. Some of the measures include the following.

At least 250 volunteers must be deployed during peak hours and 100 during off-peak hours.

Use of adequate directional and safety signage

• Ferris wheel or any similar amusement rides will not be permitted

• A public address system for police communication is to be installed

• The number of CCTV cameras has to be increased

• The gate adjacent to the KMC (Kolkata Municipal Corporation) building inside Santosh Mitra Square must be left open for additional crowd movement

Senior police officers said the letter is meant to ensure the puja organiser takes the necessary steps to avoid chaos during the festive days, and ensure that the festive spirit is not marred.

“Our ultimate goal is to ensure puja revellers get to visit the pandal, and there is neither any chaos nor congestion around the pandal,” a senior officer of Kolkata Police’s central division said.

BJP councillor Ghosh, however, said that the restrictions were being imposed because it is one of the few pujas that do not collect the state government dole.

“Have the police sent the letter to other organisers as well? What happened last year? Did anyone die, any of the visitors hospitalised or did the pandal collapse?” Ghosh asked.

“We are being targeted because I belong to another political party other than the Trinamool Congress,” he said.