Only followers of “Sanatan Dharma” would be allowed to touch Durga idols during immersion in Kolkata, Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday, adding that it was not a communal matter but one of religion.
The chief minister was reviewing immersion arrangements at Babughat in Kolkata, accompanied by city police commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand and 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 Hooghly. Those who follow 'Sanatan Dharma' will touch the idols. There is no communal matter in it," Adhikari said.
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 years. This is a festival, but primarily it is a religious programme," he said.
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.
The police, disaster management authorities and the municipal corporation could seek assistance from other agencies including the Port Trust if required, he said.
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He 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 process. The 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 added.
Adhikari 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 said.
After 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 Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal on Mahasaptami evening, which claimed 19 lives in the first such fatal incident in Kolkata’s signature festival.
A total of 18 IPS officers will supervise idol immersions in Kolkata and three neighbouring police commissionerates until October 24, a senior official said.