During the ongoing Durga Puja festival in Kolkata, a Muslim mob disrupted the rituals at the New Bengal Sporting Club’s Durga Puja Pandal in the Garden Reach area, threatening the organizers to halt the celebrations and demanded the Hindu rituals be stopped.
Conflict Over Music During Puja and Namaz
In a formal complaint filed with the local police, the New Bengal Sporting Club stated that the disruption occurred during the Ashtami and Navami puja ceremonies. According to the club, a group of young men from the Muslim community objected to the music being played at the pandal, claiming it interfered with their Namaz (Friday prayers). This sparked a verbal altercation between the young men and the puja committee members.
Community Leaders and Police Defuse Tensions
Shortly after the confrontation began, senior members of the Muslim community and police officers intervened. Their efforts helped calm the situation and dispersed the crowd, allowing the puja rituals to resume.
The club described the incident in their written complaint, stating, “Today at 1:13 pm, near about 50-60 hooligans (Muslim mob) came to our Puja pandal and interrupted rituals and threatened to disrupt our Puja pandal and also said that they would break Maa Durga’s idol.” They also mentioned that some of the mob members pushed and used abusive language towards women and other club members during the altercation.
Video Evidence Submitted to Police
The organizers recorded a video of the entire incident and handed it over to the local police station in Garden Reach. They requested immediate action, urging authorities to address the seriousness of the threats made during the confrontation.
Police Investigate Incident
Following the complaint, the police registered a case and began an investigation into the incident. Officials confirmed that the situation is currently under control, and further steps are being taken to ensure that such disruptions do not occur again during the festival.