A new Kolkata immersion rule requiring only people who believe in Sanatan Dharma to touch Durga idols has triggered a political dispute, even as the city’s civic authorities manage thousands of immersions through designated ghats, mechanical ramps and trolleys.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the restriction on Wednesday while inspecting security arrangements at Baje Kadamtala Ghat. He said Kolkata Police commissioner Ajay Nand had been instructed to record and identify the names of people involved in immersions.
“Only those who believe in Sanatan Dharma should touch the idols. I have told the CP to record the names of those who come here. They must also be identified,” Adhikari said, according to the report. He said the measure was intended to preserve the sanctity of immersion rituals and referred to traditions, scriptures and norms followed for thousands of years.
The announcement drew criticism from opposition leaders, who described the proposed identification process as exclusionary and contrary to India’s constitutional commitment to pluralism. Former CPM MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya questioned how authorities would determine who qualifies as a “sanatani” and whether an official list would be maintained. Bengal Congress leader Suman Roy Chaudhuri also condemned the remarks. Trinamool’s Baiswanor Chatterjee criticised what he described as a narrow interpretation of Hinduism.
The issue has emerged alongside changes in the way Kolkata is handling immersion operations. Adhikari had earlier said that trolleys, rather than cranes, would be used and that DJ music would be prohibited during the process. The report said rail-mounted trolleys replaced cranes at immersion sites along the Hooghly, while special mechanical ramps, trolleys and conveyor systems were installed at Baje Kadamtala, Nimtala and Gwalior ghats.
Loud DJ music was absent from the ghats compared with previous years, although fireworks were reported in some areas. Environment activist Naba Dutta of Sabuj Mancha said the restriction on DJ music fulfilled a demand that environmental campaigners had raised for years.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation sources said around 2,800 idols were immersed on Wednesday. Doighat recorded approximately 700 immersions and Baje Kadamtala recorded 560, while Nimtala and Judges Ghat experienced a surge in activity. A majority of puja organisers reportedly stayed away from immersions at that stage.
The municipal process also faced a logistical constraint at Baje Kadamtala. A Times of India team saw heaps of idol structures at the ghat on Thursday afternoon. A KMC official attributed the accumulation to low tide and said the structures were expected to be cleared when the tide rose. The report did not specify how many people would be subject to the proposed identification procedure or how the police would determine religious eligibility. Further implementation details are expected from the police and civic authorities overseeing the remaining immersions.
