Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari has directed Kolkata police to record the names and identities of people who handle Durga idols during immersion, saying that only followers of Sanatan Dharma should touch them. The instruction was issued during his inspection of immersion arrangements at Babughat on Vijaya Dashami.
“The purity, tradition, scriptures and rules that have been followed for thousands of years must be adhered to. This is a religious programme. It is certainly a festival but that is secondary. Primarily, it is religious. The tradition must be preserved,” Suvendu said, according to Telegraph India. He added that there was “nothing communal” about the instruction.
The chief minister did not specify whether the direction applied to puja organisers accompanying idols or to the labourers who lift the structures from trucks and guide them through low tides, slippery steps and muddy slopes at the Hooghly riverfront. Muslims, Christians and Sikhs have been associated with several Durga Pujas in Kolkata, while migrant workers from the Sundarbans and other districts travel to the city each festive season to assist with immersion operations.
The workers generally coordinate directly with puja organisers when they arrive at the riverfront. A retired public administrator told the newspaper that their religion had not traditionally been treated as a consideration because they worked for contractors. Kolkata Municipal Corporation sources said more than 50 labourers were usually deployed at a ghat, with larger numbers assigned to busier locations. The civic body has earmarked 27 ghats for idol immersion within the municipal area.
The instruction comes as the city manages a large, closely coordinated operation involving civic workers, police, river personnel and private staff. Kolkata Police has planned security arrangements for immersions between October 21 and 24, with six supervisory zones covering locations including Nimtala, Gwalior, Bichali, Ratan Babu, Shobhabazar, Babughat, Baje Kadamtala and the northern immersion corridor.
Twelve senior IPS officers are supervising immersion duty, assisted by 12 Kolkata Police personnel assigned to Tactical Assistance Cell teams. An additional 192 private personnel are being deployed across the designated zones. Bichali Ghat has the highest allocation at 38 personnel, while Ratan Babu, Shobhabazar and the Babughat-Baje Kadamtala complex have been assigned 34 each. Medical teams, the National Disaster Response Force, Civil Defence, river police and divers have been positioned at every ghat.
The administration has also instructed officials not to use cranes for specified idol-framework handling operations. Trolleys will instead be used to remove idol structures after immersion, with municipal workers assisting. Flowers, garlands and other puja material cannot be dumped into the Hooghly, and DJs are prohibited at the ghats.
Opposition leaders criticised the identity-related instruction. Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh said no chief minister should make such a statement, while CPM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty questioned whether police should be responsible for checking the religion and caste of people handling idols. The immersion arrangements, including safety deployment and the handling system at the ghats, remain in operation through October 24.
