Keep peace & harmony on Durga puja, Muharram: CM

Kolkata: Coming down heavily on the BJP and RSS for their "attempts to create trouble during the coming Durga Puja festival", Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee clarified that no procession with arms will be allowed. Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat Nabanna on Saturday, Banerjee said that the BJP is trying to spread canards over the dates of Durga Puja immersion.

"Let me make crystal clear what we told the puja organisers in the meeting last month. There is no restriction on immersion on Vijaya Dashami that falls on Saturday. We had only sought four hours on that day so that there is a gap between process of immersion of idols getting over and the other community performing their rituals. Only on the day of Ekadashi, October 1, which falls on Sunday will there be no immersion as the day coincides with Muharram. Immersion will again take place on October 2, 3 and 4. Lakshmi Puja will be held on Thursday, October 5. The Durga Puja carnival — procession with idols — will be held on Red Road on October 3," Banerjee clarified.

Director General of Police Surajit Kar Purakayestha, who was accompanying the Chief Minister during her Press conference, said that the police do not give permission to any rally with arms. "The law will take its own course and strong action will be taken against those holding rallies with arms," Kar Purakayestha said

Just a day ago, the VHP had decided to go ahead with its "shastra pujan (weapon worship)" at private and religious institutions during Bijoya Dashami across the state. Maintaining that the culture associated with the Durga Puja festival is entirely different and the BJP has no knowledge of the culture and tradition of Bengal, she said, "Our culture is influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and Ramkrishna who have preached the message of communal harmony. People from different countries and even abroad come here during the Pujas. It's been said that Kolkata Police is not efficient enough like its Mumbai counterparts. Let me tell them, nowhere is Durga puja celebrated on a larger scale than in West Bengal. Will Mumbai Police be able to control the crowd if Ganpati immersion and Muharram fall on the same day", she asked.

The Chief Minister said that two people have been arrested in Raigunj for trying to trigger communal tension. Kar Purakayestha added," We have averted an attempt to spread communal tension when our alert vigil resulted in the arrest of two people. They were planning to throw the head of a boar inside a shrine. They have confessed their crime and said that they are supporters of the BJP."