New Delhi: The seventh day of celebrations at the CR Park Durga Puja Committee, Block B, came to an abrupt halt on Saturday night. Delhi Police switched off the speakers and lights in the middle of a stage performance. The committee has alleged that police forced them to shut down the festivities after 10 pm, as per a report by The Hindu.
When the music suddenly stopped around 11 pm at the Chittaranjan Park Block B Durga Puja pandal, it triggered commotion in the crowd.
“A constable came onto the stage and simply pulled out the cables connected to the equipment. The speakers and some of the lights suddenly stopped working,” said 64-year-old Raju Shome, vice-president of the puja committee.
He added that the forceful disconnection of the wires damaged the speakers, leaving them inoperable. The police personnel’s actions also sparked anger and confusion among the people gathered at the pandal.
Soon afterwards, CRPF personnel arrived at the scene, drawing more attention. The incident prompted criticism from those present, with several questioning the deployment of police and paramilitary personnel at a religious gathering and alleging that the organisers and attendees had been mistreated.
“They did not even ask us anything or issue any notice. When we started questioning their behaviour, they brought in more than 20 CRPF personnel,” Shome said. “The puja committee has been organising these celebrations for 50 years, and nothing like this has ever happened before. This is simply disrespectful.”
On Sunday, Delhi Police rejected allegations of harassing Durga Puja committees in south Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park. The police said their intervention was aimed at enforcing court-mandated noise pollution regulations, alleging that organisers had continued playing loud music beyond the permitted hours despite agreeing to comply with the restrictions.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal, in a post on X, dismissed claims regarding police intervention at a Durga Puja pandal in CR Park.
“Police intervention is only to ensure court rules on noise pollution. The organisers kept playing loud music past the permitted time, despite agreeing to the rules in earlier meetings,” he said.
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‘No Notice’
The committee also appealed to the Lieutenant Governor to intervene and criticised the Delhi Police for entering the religious venue and disrupting the celebrations.
“We know the rules, and every year we receive a notice from the authorities asking us to stop playing loud music by midnight. But this year, we did not receive any notice. Even if the police had approached us politely and asked us to stop, we would have complied. Such behaviour is unacceptable,” Shome said.
The midnight deadline had traditionally been followed during festivals, despite the general 10 pm restriction on loudspeakers.
Videos of the commotion, circulated on social media, showing a large number of CRPF personnel at the site. Several users also questioned the BJP-led government over the incident.
“Police acting as dalal of BJP masters. No shame left in these fallen low rogues in uniforms. Drag these rogues to court,” one user wrote on X.
“This is what Bengalis want to enjoy? Achhe din in Bengal and Delhi now?” another user questioned.
Earlier on Sunday, before Delhi Police issued its clarification, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the police of disrupting Durga Puja celebrations in CR Park. He alleged that personnel had forcibly disconnected the electricity supply at a pandal and imposed stricter restrictions on the festivities.
In a video posted on X, Bharadwaj urged the Lieutenant Governor and the police commissioner to intervene, alleging that the Bengali community was being treated unfairly.
“Delhi Police, please don’t create problems at CR Park Durga Puja pandals. They are a very peaceful community and don’t want anything from the government…Let them celebrate their festivals in peace,” he wrote.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)