Kolkata organizers behind the popular Santosh Mitra Square Durga Puja say Kolkata Police are blocking visitors on purpose. The event, which Union Home Minister Amit Shah kicked off on Thursday, draws huge crowds each year in central Kolkata.
Sajal Ghosh, a BJP councilor with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the puja’s main organizer, vented his frustration on social media. “The plan to stop the puja is final. Public opinion is the only way,” he posted.
Ghosh accuses police and political figures of plotting to shut down the Durga Puja celebration at Santosh Mitra Square. He points to heavy barricades around the entire Sealdah station area, calling it a deliberate move. “Visitors can’t reach the puja pandal, and cars can’t even get close,” Ghosh explained.
He claims officers are turning people away and forcing them to take detours, all to empty out the spot. “The whole zone is locked down with barricades. Folks from Sealdah Station can’t walk in from anywhere. Only if you push through do you make it to the pavilion,” Ghosh said. “Police won’t shut the pandal themselves—they’re just pressuring us to do it.”
This Durga Puja committee made headlines early by rejecting the West Bengal government’s funding grant. Their 2024 theme, “Operation Sindoor,” celebrates India’s strong response to cross-border terrorism and Pakistan, earning big cheers from locals.
Ghosh believes the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is behind the hassle as payback. The theme spotlights the central government’s wins on security, which rubs TMC the wrong way, he says.
Last year, they went viral with a Ram Mandir theme, building a pandal that mirrored the Ayodhya temple. Amit Shah inaugurated that one too and praised Ghosh’s creative touch on the BJP-backed project.
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