West Bengal Governor, HC seek report from State govt. on ‘vandalism’ during pujas

West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose. File photo
| Photo Credit: PTI

West Bengal Governor C. V. Ananda Bose and the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday (November 6, 2024) sought a report from the State government on complaints of vandalism during the Durga Puja and Kali Puja festivals.

In a social media post, the Raj Bhawan Media Cell said that the Governor has received various complaints from opposition leaders and others regarding the law-and-order situation in some parts of the state during Durga Puja and Kali Puja.

“The Raj Bhavan has sought a response from the state government and directed authorities to take proactive steps to avoid untoward incidents,” the post added.

HC seeks report

In another development, the Calcutta High Court, responding to a plea by the leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, asked the State government to file a report on allegations of violence during the festival.

While the counsels appearing for the Leader of Opposition alleged that vandalism took place, Advocate General Kishore Datta strongly refuted allegations of a communal clash. The Kolkata Police posted on social media that reports of attack, on an immersion procession at Narkeldanga were an attempt to build a “fake narrative” and reports of vandalism at a puja mandap in the West Port area were “misleading and unsubstantiated.”

Media coverage

The bench of Chief Justice T. S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hirnamoy Bhattacharya noted that they had not come across news reports on alleged mob violence during the pujas.

“If a place of worship is being attacked, then it is not an attack against a particular community or sect; it is an attack generally on the public. So, this cannot go unreported… Speaking for myself, up to October 24, I was here, there was nothing in the newspapers,” the Chief Justice remarked.

The petitioners’ counsel replied by pointing out that at least two journalists reported on the communal clashes, but were later arrested by the State police.

The Advocate General sought to know if the petition had been filed only for political mileage. The Chief Justice, while noting that even he had earlier been surprised to see a Leader of Opposition filing so many cases, pointed out, “Of course, parties fight petitions for a common cause. He holds a very responsible position.” The bench will take up the petition again on November 21.