'Mahisasura' with Gandhjji's face; Durga idol in Kolkata sparks row

Kolkata: On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, a 'Mahisasura' in a Durga idol in Kolkata was replaced by a crafted Mahatma Gandhi-look alike. It incited controversy as it happened on Gandhiji's birth anniversary, PTI reported.

A complaint was lodged, and following police instructions, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, the organisers of the puja, changed the Gandhi look of the asura.

The organisers claimed that the incident was pure "coincidence".

Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) state working president Chandrachur Goswami told PTI, "The Durga idol that was worshipped here initially had a Mahisasur whose face looked similar to that of Mahatma Gandhi. The similarities are just a coincidence. After photos of it went viral, a police team visited the pandal and asked us to change the face."

As per Hindu mythology, Goddess Durga killed Mahisasura to end his evil reign.

Alt News Senior Editor Indradeep Bhattacharyya tweeted the photo of the problematic Durga idol and tagged the Kolkata Police. Later he deleted the post and said that police instructed him to do so, stating that it could create tension during the festival.

He said, "I have been requested by @KolkataPolice cyber cell @DCCyberKP to delete my tweet on a particular puja in Kolkata as they think it might create tension amid the festivities. As a responsible citizen, I abide by their request."

ABHM's Goswami claimed that his organisation did not mean to hurt anybody's sentiments. "The police asked us to change it, and we obliged. We put a moustache and hair on Mahishasur's idol," he said.

Hindu organisations like Bangiya Parishad Hindu Mahasabha criticised the incident. We don't support what Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha did. We condemn it. We too had differences with Gandhi Ji's views, but this is not a way to protest against it," said Sandip Mukherjee, the president of the organisation said.

Political parties, including Trinamool Congress and BJP, slammed the controversial idol depicting Gandhiji as 'Mahisasura'. Trinamool Congress state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh opined that the incident was sacrilege.

He said, "It is an insult to the father of the nation. It is an insult to every citizen of the country. What would the BJP say about such an insult? We know the assassin of Gandhiji belonged to which ideological camp."

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said, "If such a move had been made, it is unfortunate. We condemn it. This is in poor taste."

The puja idols are created on the basis of certain themes every year. These themes might be social issues, and Mahisasura gets replaced by something that represents a social evil.