West Bengal: Night-long protests over doctor's murder mark Mahalaya ahead of Durga Puja

KOLKATA: Protesting the rape and murder of the RG Kar hospital doctor, night-long demonstrations were held across West Bengal on the auspicious occasion of Mahalaya, which marks the beginning of the festive season with Durga Puja barely six days away. While in Kolkata, the demonstrators floated lamps in the rivers and prayed for the medic's soul, in Coochbehar, a march was held in the early hours as part of the protest, termed 'Abhaya's Tarpan'.

Hindus perform the ritual of 'tarpan' on Mahalaya in remembrance of their forefathers. A large number of women took part in the protests that were held at Ruby Crossing, outside the Academy of Fine Arts, Jadavpur 8B Stand, Shyambazar, Thakurpukur, VIP Road, and Dumdum Park in Kolkata. Similar gatherings were held in Coochbehar, Malda, Canning and Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas, Sodpur and Barasat in North 24 Parganas, and Uttarpara in Hooghly, among other districts.

"Our peaceful protests demanding justice for Abhaya (the victim's symbolic name) will continue during Devi Paksha on all four days of the festival. Goddess Durga had slayed the demon on Dashami. We also pray the demon be vanquished, and all tormentors of women and punished," said writer-activist Satabdi Das, who took part in the demonstration at Renuchhaya Mancha near the Academy of Fine Arts.

At Haridevpur in south Kolkata, a scuffle broke out between the protestors and another group over raising slogans and the obstruction of the main road. The protesters later filed a complaint with the police, alleging that TMC supporters had assaulted them. Durga Puja Pandal based on the theme of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder case, 'Lajja', built-in West Bengal's Kolkata is being widely shared on social media.

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Kolkata Municipal Corporation's ward 115 councillor Ratna Sur claimed that the protestors vandalised a Durga Puja hoarding, and they also heckled her when she intervened to handle the situation. Meanwhile, the day started with people paying obeisance to their forefathers on the banks of Hooghly and other rivers and water bodies across the state. The early morning rendition of Mahishasur Mardini -- a collection of shlokas and songs dedicated to Goddess Durga -- was aired on All India Radio (AIR).

Mahishasur Mardini was first broadcast as a live programme on AIR in the early 1930s. Since then it has become a Mahalaya morning 'ritual'. River traffic police kept a strict vigil along various ghats of Hooghly to prevent any untoward incident. Adequate security measures have been taken at the 18 ghats in Kolkata where devotees are offering 'tarpan', officials said.

With the day marking the end of Pitri Paksha, elders of the family paid homage to their ancestors by performing 'tarpan', a ritual in which water is offered to the ancestors’ souls. Vehicular movements on the roads around the ghats have been restricted, police said. Similar scenes were seen in the other districts with lakhs of people gathering on the banks of rivers and ponds to pay obeisance to their forefathers.

On Mahalaya, the sculptors usually draw the eyes of Goddess Durga, a ritual known as 'Chokhhu Daan'. This year, Durga Puja will begin on October 9, which is Sashti. Unlike previous years, community puja pandals in Kolkata have not yet been opened to the public as organisers are moving with caution amid the protests over the doctor's rape and murder.