Case filed against Hindu group for depicting Mahatma Gandhi as asura
Chandrachur Goswami, the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha’s state working president, said the purpose of the exercise was to depict Gandhi as evil
The Kolkata Police have filed a case against Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha for placing an idol of Mahatma Gandhi instead of the asura (demon) at the feet of the Durga idol at a community puja. Durga slayed the demon Mahishasura to save the earth, according to Hindu scriptures.
Police removed Gandhi’s idol from the venue of the puja on Sunday when his birth anniversary was being observed after its photos surfaced on social media and triggered protests.
“A case has been registered on the basis of a specific complaint,” said a Kolkata Police officer late on Monday.
Chandrachur Goswami, the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha’s state working president, earlier said he was unaware of any case. “Nobody has contacted us and no member of our party has been arrested,” said Goswami. He said the purpose of the exercise was to depict Gandhi as evil. “By the time the police came and replaced Gandhi’s idol with that of the asura, our mission was complete.”
Congress leader Koustav Bagchi was among those who lodged a complaint against the Hindu group and mailed a copy it to chief minister Mamata Banerjee. “To the best of my knowledge, no formal case was registered till Monday afternoon,” Bagchi said.
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The West Bengal Provincial Hindu Mahasabha, the party which Shyama Prasad Mookerjee headed, claimed it has no link with the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha. In 1951, Mookerjee formed the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
West Bengal Provincial Hindu Mahasabha chief Shambhunath Ganguly said the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha is a new outfit with many factions. “Like every year, our Durga puja has been organised at Girish Park in north Kolkata. Anirban Ganguly, BJP leader and director of the Delhi-based Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, inaugurated our puja on Friday.”
