'Do not link Durga Puja with RG Kar tragedy', appeals Bengal association

Kolkata: Forum for Durgotsab, an association of community Puja committees in West Bengal has issued an appeal to the public not to link the forthcoming Durga Puja festival with the ghastly murder and rape of a woman doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital.

The appeal from the forum comes in the wake of a popular Durga Puja Committee in the state, Uttarpara Sakti Sangha club based out of Uttarpara in Hooghly district, having announced to refuse the annual Puja donation by the state government as a token protest against the rape and murder tragedy.

Following that announcement by Uttarpara Sakti Sangha some other smaller Durga Puja committees have announced the refusal of the donation which has been increased to Rs 85,000 this year from Rs 70,000 last year.

In the meantime, a massive social media campaign is going on requesting all community Durga Puja committees to refuse the state government donation. Campaigns are also going on appealing to people to keep the festival a low-key affair in the wake of the R.G Kar Hospital tragedy.

Amid these developments, the Forum for Durgotsab has issued a statement requesting people to allow the festival to maintain its own rhythm like the previous years.

“Considering that the sentiment of Bengalis is attached to Durga Puja, please do not link the festival with the tragedy,” the forum said in the statement.

At the same time, the forum has also demanded the most severe punishment for those found guilty in the rape and murder case.

However, the statement has again been trolled in social media with netizens claiming that they doubt whether the forum’s appeal is keeping in mind the Bengali sentiments or is it because of the attraction associated with different awards for Puja committees under various parameters.

Earlier, when Uttarpara Sakti Sangha announced its decision to refuse state government donation, Trinamool Congress leader launched a scathing attack against the committee by describing the move as a stunt to attract publicity over the R.G. Kar tragedy.