Apparently dragooned by a veiled intimidation from the ruling Trinamool Congress brass nearly all big ticket Durga Puja committees in and around Kolkata on Saturday and Sunday chose to ignore the Calcutta High Court order overruling Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s directions to postpone immersion of Durga idols making way for Muharram.
literally proving whose writ ran large in Bengal, Durga Puja committees held back immersions till the Muslim festivities were over while inside reports said the organisers were conveyed the message from political high zones that the Trinamool high command “would be pleased” if immersions were held back on Muharram day.
Hearing a public-interest-litigation the High Court had ordered the administration to make adequate arrangements so that the two festivals could be celebrated simultaneously. Notwithstanding the court order, the top Trinamool leaders who went about inaugurating Durga Pujas told organisers that the Chief Minister was confident that they would “listen to their inner voices” which they indeed did by withholding immersion on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday about 2,000 idols — almost the entirely from household Pujas — were immersed in Hooghly. Household Pujas belonging to individual houses often several hundred years old are different from the Baroari Pujas that are organised publicly in Pandals.
“We have no other choice but to go by the Government’s (read Chief Minister’s) wishes. Despite the fact that it costs thousands of rupees to hold back immersion for each day — as you have to pay on account of lights, labour, daily puja expenses, corporation charges and so on — we do not have any other option,” said an organiser from Hidusthan Park area in South Kolkata.
Another organiser from a pandal near Gariahat said, “who will risk future problems by flouting the Trinamool’s orders. We would have done it on Saturday itself but we do not want to get ‘stamped’ hence we will immerse the idol on Monday after Muharram is over.”
No wonder why all the big-budget Pujas — often organised by powerful Ministers and politicians — from Suruchi Sangha, Chetla Agrani, Ekdalia Evergreen, Singhi Park, Tridhara Sanmilani, Ballygunge Cultural Association, Muhammad Ali Park, Sree Bhumi and many others withheld their immersion programmes for October 2 or 3.
like in 2016, Muharram had fallen on Vijaya Dashmi Day this year round with the Chief Minister issuing a blanket ban on the immersion of idols beyond 10 pm on Saturday till Monday morning leading to ruffling of sentiments. However, the High hearing a PIl reversed the order and directed the Government to ensure adequate security measures to allow the two festivals to be celebrated side by side.
Meanwhile, Muharram was celebrated amid tight security arrangements on Sunday. Nearly 7-8 thousand police personnel had been deployed to ensure safe observation of festivities, police administration said.