KOLKATA: The Calcutta high court pulled up the West Bengal government for its “arbitrary” directive to limit Durga idol immersions, on account of Muharram, and called the move a “clear endeavour” to “appease the minority section”.
A single-member bench of justice Dipankar Dutta decided to set aside the limits set by Mamata Banerjee -led government and described the government’s step as a “dangerous trend to mix politics with religion” that can “pit one community against the other.”
“There has been a clear endeavour on the part of the state government to pamper and appease the minority section of the public at the cost of the majority section without there being any plausible justification. The reason therefore is, however, not far to seek,” the court said.
The state government had earlier set 4pm as the deadline for completing the idol immersion on Tuesday and had disallowed immersion on Wednesday as Muharram processions will also take place on the same day.
This decision had irked several puja organizers, who for years had been practicing the tradition of idol immersion on Vijayadashami.
{{/usCountry}}This decision had irked several puja organizers, who for years had been practicing the tradition of idol immersion on Vijayadashami.
{{/usCountry}}The court directed civic agencies, including the police and civil administration, to identify routes for the immersion processions and for the tazia, while making sure that the routes did not overlap.
“The administration has failed to take note of the fact that Muharram is also not the most important festival of people having faith in Islam… To put it curtly, the state government has been irresponsibly brazen in its conduct of being partial to one community, thereby infringing upon the fundamental rights of people worshipping Maa Durga,” the bench noted.
“Never has there been a restriction on immersion of Durga idols on Bijoya Dashami at any earlier point of time. It has been brought to the notice of this bench that in 1982 and 1983, Moharram was observed on the day following Bijoya Dashami, but no restriction of the nature impugned herein was imposed.”