kolkata, 23 October (H.S.) :

A major political controversy has erupted in West Bengal following Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's strict directive that only believers of the 'Sanatan' dharma should be allowed to touch the Durga idols during the immersion process. Clarifying the administration's stance on the matter on Friday, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajoy Nanda stated that deciding who participates in the immersion remains entirely an internal matter of the respective Puja committees, emphasizing that the police have no direct role in it. However, the top cop mentioned that following the Chief Minister's instructions, the committees have been urged to strictly adhere to traditional norms and religious rituals.

The controversy stems from Wednesday when Chief Minister Adhikari, while inspecting immersion preparations at Babughat in Kolkata, firmly mandated that no one other than followers of the Sanatan religion would be permitted to touch the idols. He had also instructed the Police Commissioner to ensure the identification of attendees at the ghats by recording their names. When questioned about the feasibility of this identification process during a press conference at the Lalbazar police headquarters on Friday, CP Nanda clarified that the primary duty of the police is strictly to maintain law and order, leaving the decision of who is brought to the immersion ghats to the Puja organizers. Asked how one's identity as a 'Sanatani' would be verified, Nanda declined to elaborate, simply reiterating that the administration has asked the committees to conduct the rituals according to the scriptures.

Amid mounting scrutiny and questions over his directive, Chief Minister Adhikari defended his stance, dismissing any allegations of communalism and framing the decision purely as a matter of preserving religious sanctity and age-old rituals. He argued that while Durga Puja is a grand public festival, its core lies in deep-rooted religious traditions that must be observed in accordance with millennia-old scriptures and rules. To maintain the 'sanctity of the Mother's idol', hand-pulled trolleys are being utilized this year instead of mechanical cranes. Furthermore, to ensure foolproof security during the immersions, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed alongside the state and Kolkata police forces. The Chief Minister also announced prompt administrative measures to keep the Ganges pollution-free, with the swift removal of idol structures commencing early in the morning immediately after the immersions. Meanwhile, the immersion process continued across designated ghats in Kolkata on Friday, following the initial phases on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Chief Minister's remarks have triggered a massive political storm across the state, drawing sharp rebukes from opposition parties. Veteran Left leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya strongly condemned the statement, labeling it as entirely unconstitutional and anti-national while accusing the Chief Minister of promoting Hindu fundamentalism. He questioned whether the administration possessed any specific metric or registry to determine who qualifies as a Sanatani. Trinamool Congress leader Baiswanor Chatterjee also took aim at Adhikari, asserting that the Chief Minister fails to comprehend the fundamental generosity of Hinduism, a profound religion that cannot be understood through such a narrow mindset. Adding to the chorus of criticism, State Congress spokesperson Suman Roy Chowdhury issued a scathing critique, stating that it is highly condemnable for an individual holding a constitutional post, who has sworn an oath on the Constitution, to make remarks that directly undermine India's pluralistic and secular ethos.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh