New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said only followers of ‘Sanatan Dharma’ would be allowed to touch Durga idols during immersion in the Hooghly river, asserting that
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New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said only followers of ‘Sanatan Dharma’ would be allowed to touch Durga idols during immersion in the Hooghly river, asserting that religious traditions must be followedAdhikari made the statement while reviewing immersion arrangements at Babughat in Kolkata, accompanied by Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand and Kolkata Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey.
“I have instructed the CP to keep the identification of those who will be involved in carrying the idols into the HooghlyThose who follow ‘Sanatan Dharma’ will touch the idolsThere is no communal matter in it,” he said.
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The chief minister said arrangements had been strengthened this year, keeping in mind both the security concerns and the religious significance of the immersion rituals“To maintain the purity of the immersion, we have to follow the traditions, the scriptures and the rules that have been followed for several thousand yearsThis is a festival, but primarily it is a religious programme,” he said.
VIDEO | Kolkata: “Only those following Sanatan dharma should touch idols”, says West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) during inspection of ghats in Kolkata ahead of Maa Durga idol immersion.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) https://t.co/sPcHCLVSCe
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 21, 2026
Adhikari said trolleys had been arranged instead of cranes following complaints.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been included in the arrangements this year to prevent any untoward incident, he said, adding that the police, disaster management authorities and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation could seek assistance from other agencies, including the Kolkata Port Trust, if required.
He also said the water would be cleaned after the immersion process concludes on October 24.
The chief minister expressed concern over the safety of people travelling in country boats to witness idol immersion in the Ichamati river at Taki in North 24 Parganas district.
“At least 200 country boats were expected to carry spectators during the immersion processThe administration had tried to discourage the practice but had to take local sentiments into account,” he said.
“We have taken precautions like providing life jackets and measures to balance the weight, but we are still worried because most of them are country boats (dingi),” he addedAdhikari said the BSF has been roped in to assist with arrangements at Taki.
A cabinet minister has also been sent to the area, while the Deputy Inspector General of Police of the Barasat Range has been assigned responsibility, Adhikari saidAfter visiting Babughat, the chief minister reviewed immersion arrangements at ghats on the Howrah side of the Hooghly river on a boat.
The administration has intensified security following the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal on Mahasaptami evening, which claimed 19 livesA total of 18 IPS officers will supervise idol immersions in Kolkata and three neighbouring police commissionerates until October 24, a senior official said.
(With PTI Inputs)
