Worshippers playing hide-n-seek with police to witness largest Durga
The pandal was overcrowded on Sunday (Panchami) evening and 11 worshippers were injured during a near stamped-like situation. Police had stopped the public access into the pandal permanently from Monday (Sasthi), citing viewers' safety and security concern.
Police have also covered the area with view-cutters to close pandal's view from surrounding roads. All gates have been locked and police are not allowing anyone to see the idol anyway.
Commissioner of Kolkata Police Surajit Kar Purakayastha requested the worshippers to avoid Deshapriya Park Puja pandal.
However, worshippers were spotted everyday outside the Deshapriya Park pandal while attempting to see the idol for a second. They were having to run, play hide-n-seek with the policemen posted there, climb on the railing nearby to just take view or snap the idol of the goddess.
The Deshapriya Park Durga idol had created a hype among pandal hoppers for the past few months with several ads spread across the city. Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachhan also appreciated the idol and posted a picture of the idol on his Twitter page.
Sumit Ghosh, one worshipper, who came from Hooghly district of West Bengal to visit Deshapriya Park on Wednesday, told IBNS: "I heard that the puja has been banned. But it is the largest Durga idol in the world. I wanted to see the pandal somehow from outside, not through TV or newspaper. So, I am here and just viewed a part of the idol through a hole in a view-cutter. Now I'm happy."
But, all worshippers were not lucky as Sumit. When they tried to see the idol, policemen had forced them to leave the place, without witnessing it.
(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha, Image: IBNS)
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