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An assistant sub-inspector of Kolkata Police has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 21-year-old woman civic volunteer outside a Durga Puja pandal in south Kolkata. The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday night, and a video of the alleged act has gone viral.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) of releasing water recklessly and without prior intimation, creating a flood-like situation in south Bengal districts during Durga Puja.
Unesco on Wednesday accorded heritage status to Kolkata's Durga puja festival, bringing glory to the country, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lauding the move.
West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh asserted that eating non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja is not controversial, countering Bageshwar Dham head priest Dhirendra Shastri's call for vegetarianism. Ghosh highlighted Bengal's traditions, including goat sacrifice as prasad, and criticised attempts to dictate food choices or government involvement in community pujas. He also touched upon a controversy regarding an 11-handed Durga idol.
A 25-year-old survivor, Sonu Pal, recounts the tragic stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata where his mother died. The incident, which occurred on Saturday evening during a sudden downpour, claimed 19 lives and injured 25 others. Relatives of the victims are demanding accountability from authorities and organisers for the poor crowd management.
'I want to take Durga Maa's blessings and achieve a lot more'
Bollywood stars turned revelers during the ongoing Durga Puja and Navratri.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that only followers of 'Sanatan Dharma' would be permitted to touch Durga idols during immersion in the Hooghly river, citing religious traditions. He also reviewed extensive security and safety arrangements for the immersion process, including NDRF involvement and precautions for spectators at Taki, following a recent stampede incident.
Breaking centuries-old custom, for the first time in the history of Durga Puja in West Bengal, women priests Nandini Bhowmik, Ruma Roy, Seymanti Banerjee and Poulami Chakraborty performed rituals on the occasion of Maha Sasthi, October 11, 2021.
Hundreds and thousands of devout throng puja pandals as festive fever grips Kolkata on Friday, the second last day of Durga puja. But if weathermen are to be believed the rain gods may just play spoilsport.
Durga Puja celebrations are on in the city and Bollywood has joined in with great gusto!
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has initiated an investigation into the role of temporary home guards following a stampede at a Kolkata Durga Puja pandal that killed 19 people. Adhikari criticised the previous administration and highlighted issues with crowd management and the conduct of home guards during the incident. The probe will also include puja organisers and licensing authorities, while a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be formed. Seven people, including organisers, have been arrested.
The Mukherjees are in a festive mood!
Forum for Durgotsab, an umbrella organisation of 550 community Durga Pujas in Kolkata and neighbouring areas, also published guidelines to ensure that the festivities are held following COVID-safety protocols.
A community Durga Puja pandal based on the theme of 'Fight Against Coronavirus' at Raiganj in North Dinajpur district, West Bengal.
The annual festivities of Durga Puja are set to start and the City of Joy is gearing up for it. Sayan Dutta offers us a peek into the preparations.
Mahalaya, though essentially about the goddess, wasn't religious for us. And it isn't for most Bengalis. Mahalaya is an emotion. It's gooseflesh for a memory. A welling up of happy tears. A celebration of what is to come.
Preliminary post-mortem reports indicate that asphyxia due to intense chest pressure was the likely cause of death for most of the 19 victims in a Durga Puja pandal stampede in Kolkata. Reports also noted serious internal injuries, including damage to vital organs and fractures, in some victims.
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen in a cheating case. Sen is accused of commercialising Durga Puja by selling high-priced preview show tickets through an organisation allegedly linked to him and his family, diverting government funds. The court noted "trappings of corruption" and the Enforcement Directorate is also investigating.
West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya's comments recalling the role of non-Bengali communities during the 1946 communal riots and alleging past restrictions on Durga Puja have drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, including the TMC, Congress, and CPI(M). Bhattacharya appealed for unity for peaceful Durga Puja celebrations, while opposition leaders accused him of divisive politics and distorting history.
Here's what your favourite celebrities have been up to.
The body of a 30-year-old woman, Geeta Devi, who was allegedly abducted on Tuesday, was recovered from a paddy field in Palamu district, Jharkhand, on Wednesday. Police have initiated an investigation, and a post-mortem will determine if she was sexually assaulted. Villagers protested the incident by blocking a highway.
'Kajol has always been very particular about Nysa and Yug coming for the puja every year.'
Several Bollywood stars visited the Durga Puja pandal to pay their respects.
A division bench of the high court comprising Justices Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee, while hearing a public interest litigation, said that no visitors will be allowed to enter the marquees. For small pandals, barricades will have to be put up five metres from the entrance, while for the bigger ones, the distance has to be 10 metres, the court ordered.
Five members of a family, including two women, were arrested in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharswan district for the murder of a youth and injuring three others. The incident occurred after an altercation at a fast food stall on Mahanavami day, where the victim cancelled a food order due to delay, leading to an attack by the stall owner and family members.
Rediff readers went pandal hopping and shared these pictures.
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho on Sunday arrived in Kolkata on a two-day visit.
A Durga Puja pandal in New Delhi turns literature into art.
If the Puja as a brand can be marketed more effectively outside Bengal, even overseas, it might do wonders for the economy, says Atanu Biswas.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is Trinamool Congress's Bhabanipur bypoll candidate, of violating the model code of conduct (MCC) by participating in a programme where the West Bengal government announced a grant of Rs 50,000 to each Durga puja organising committee ahead of the state's biggest festival.
In the first of a two-part festive recipe series, we bring you traditional Bengali preparations to help celebrate Durga Puja.
He said designs for special range of saris will be launched before Durga Puja.
Supriyo Hazra tells us just what dishes you must try out during the nine days of Durga Puja revelry and shares with us some lip-smacking recipes.
Supriyo Hazra tells us just what dishes you must try out during the nine days of Durga Puja revelry and shares with us some lip-smacking recipes.
