Upananda Brahmachari | HENB | Kolkata | Oct 23, 2015:: The biggest Bengali Hindu festival, Durga puja in West Bengal is again disrupted by the ruling TMC for giving more importance at Muharram of Muslims. Going by the Bengali Hindu panjika(almanac), this year VijayDashami falls on 22 October, Thursday when, after offering a three-day puja, the Idols of goddess Durga have to traditionally be immersed into rivers.
As, the Bengali Hindus are usually not to make Visarjan (immersion) on Thursday, they naturally opted Friday to make Visarjan, a day after the Dashami. This night long immersion programmes would be continued upto Saturday dawn and beyond.
But, for the Islamic cause of Muharram on Saturday, the Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police issued fatwa not to make Vijaya Dashami immersion on both Friday and Saturday.
So, the organisers of Durgapuja are now allowed to make immersion of Durga Protima (idols) on Sunday in very restricted manner so that the Muharram of Muslims cannot be disturbed anyway.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who held a meeting with various Durga Pujacommittee heads and religious leaders at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata before hand, made the announcement on restriction on immersion of Durga Idols in the city.
She announced that for household Durga Puja in Kolkata, the immersion of Idols will be on 22 October after the Maha Navamipuja is over, forcing them to make Visarjan event on Thursday even against the sentiment of Bengali Hindu families.
There will be no immersion on 23 (Friday) and 24 (Saturday) October as Muharram,which is observed by a large section Muslim population in the city, falls on those dates. Allowing the immersion on those two days might lead to traffic congestion and law and order situation!
The immersion of Idols of all community Durga Puja in Kolkata will be from 12 noon onwards on 25 October. The immersion will continue the next day, that is, on 26 October, from 8 am to 2 pm as the Laxmi Puja falls on that day.
Not, only that the Mamata Banerjee’s Govt. closed the Durga Puja at Deshapriya Park in south Kolkata and covered the idol under a veil. This Durga Puja is claimed the worship of the largest Durga idol ever in this world. As per information the puja of 88 feet and 5 inches Durga idol which was installed in open arena in that park, permission of which turned down by Kolkata Police taking a plea of security problem and uncontrollable traffic situation.
The Kolkata police lodged FIR against the Deshapriya Park Puja Committee. But, this puja was inaugurated by Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee and ex Indian Cricket captain Sourav Ganguly.
Through this ban on Deshapriya Park Durga Puja, the WB CM perhaps conveyed her solidarity with her Islamic brethren who dislike any Puja and idol worship by Hindus!
Unfortunately, West Bengal is turning into a mess where Hindu’s puja is regulated by TMC and Islamists’ whip and whim, not by Hindu preference. Seeing this Islamic inclination of TMC (Trinamool Congress), many of its critiques prefer to call it as TotalMuslim Congress.
But, as per latest report, as this writer is witnessing the Durga Puja immersions in Kolkata, some of the Bengali Hindus are making immersion in Ganga, defying the ban on ‘immersion on Friday 23, 2015’. Congratulations and Shuvo Vijaya Dashami.
__with input from Agencies. Pic. Courtesy: Facebook.