Kolkata:
On Bijoy Dashami, when idols of Goddess Durga are immersed to mark a daughter's return to Mount Kailash with her husband Lord Shiva, a final celebration of Her stay at the parental home is marked by music, sindoor khela, and dance, along with chants of "asche bochor abar hobe" (next year, we will again see you). None of that euphoria was seen when the Maa Durga idol from the Chorbagan Sarbojonin Durgotsav puja pandal, where a stampede claimed 19 lives, was brought out for a procession and immersion on Saturday.
On October 17, amidst a downpour, 19 people died in the stampede just outside this pandal in a narrow lane of North Kolkata.
On Saturday, three days after the immersion elsewhere, around 30 men brought out the idol that had drawn large crowds to one of Kolkata's most artistic Durga Puja pandals this year. No dhak, no sindoor, no devotees. The idol was lifted onto a trailer.
"I saw Her on the day the pandal was inaugurated, and I am seeing Her today, broken, in this state. May Maa never come like this," said a resident of Ward 40 under which the Durga Puja falls. Bengal has probably never seen anything like this. "It's a disgraceful day for us. I pray for forgiveness from Maa, and hope She comes back happy next year," the person, who did not want to be named, told NDTV.
A Special Investigation Team constituted by the West Bengal government in consultation with the Calcutta High Court, headed by retired judge Anindita Roy Saraswati, gave clearance to immerse the idol while keeping the pandal sealed till an examination is complete. A deadline of three months has been set for the probe to conclude.
Since the incident unfolded, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has been visiting the families of the victims to express solidarity and extend government support and compensation. The police have arrested nine persons in the ongoing investigation.
"All rituals were stopped after the incident. We never imagined Maa would leave us like this," said another resident taking a final look at the idol.
"We performed no rituals, no pushpanjali even; it was an incomplete pujo for us," lamented another resident.
As the idol reached the Nimtala ghat with police guarding the trailer from all sides, people gathered to see Chorbagan's Maa Durga, capturing the moments on mobile phones. A few even video-called others to give details of what they were witnessing. As the idol was lowered into the Hooghly, many had tears in their eyes.