A day after the organisers of a Durga puja in Kolkata, inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, charged the police with trying to stop their light-and-sound show on Operation Sindoor, senior officers on Sunday inspected the pandal and discussed ways to ensure swift crowd dispersal from there.
The development comes after BJP leader and Santosh Mitra Square Puja secertary Sajal Ghosh threatened to close down the pandal and immerse the idol prematurely if “pressure tactics” do not stop.
Kolkata Police DC Central Indira Mukherjee, along with other senior officers, inspected the pandal and the park where the crowd-puller puja is being organised, and discussed with organisers the routes of crowd circulation at the site.
"The police have shown us a purported complaint lodged by a section of locals about the sound decibel limits during the show. When we confronted them with the question of why other organisers in nearby localities were being left out, they had no answer," the BJP leader claimed.
He also claimed, "Locals did not send such a letter. It was the handiwork of some non-locals close to the ruling TMC. We are going ahead with the show and will remain vigilant." Ghosh said the puja organisers don't want to deprive lakhs of visitors from thronging the pandal where the light and show on Operation Sindoor has been taking place on the outside screen through projection.
He also expressed solidarity with the organisers of Mohammed Ali Park, which had briefly closed down the pandal a day ago, citing "unreasonable" police strictures in the movement of visitors.
"Police should act more reasonably and not harass puja organisers," Ghosh said.
Incidentally, the impasse at the Mohammed Ali Park puja in northern Kolkata was resolved on Sunday afternoon, following discussions with top police personnel who impressed upon the organisers about the need for regulated movement of revellers.
In another development, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya accused the Mamata Banerjee administration of obstructing the Durga puja even before the commencement of the festival.
In a post on X on Saturday night, Malviya alleged, "The way the West Bengal government is making every possible effort to stop the Durga puja at Santosh Mitra Square, inaugurated this year by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is utterly shameful." He also claimed, "From trying to stop the puja even before it began, to later opposing the light-and-sound show on Operation Sindoor, every move has been aimed at depriving the people of India of their national pride." Malviya alleged that the barricades being set up on the streets of Kolkata to "prevent people from joining the celebrations and to obstruct Hindus from worshipping Goddess Durga" are "nothing short of disgraceful".
The light-and-sound show featured the Pahalgam massacre by terrorists, the address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the counterattack by India smashing terror bases in Pakistan, Ghosh had said.
TMC spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya said, "Amit Malviya has no idea about the extent of Durga puja celebrations in Kolkata and how the state and administration work tirelessly to ensure that there is no untoward incident and everyone participates with equal gusto as the whole city and state join the celebrations." He said thousands of pujas are being held by clubs across Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal.
"Malviya should refrain from commenting on Durga puja in Bengal for narrow political interest," Bhattacharya claimed.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
