Police bans traditional Jagaddhatri idol immersion process in Krishnagar to prevent Covid infections

Mr Ghosh also said, “If any puja organizer violates the high court guidelines and covid protocols, we will take legal action against them.”

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News 

KRISHNAGAR, 20 NOV: Considering the guidelines enacted by the Kolkata High Court over some restrictions on puja festivities to curb the spread of Covid infections, the Krishnagar police district has banned immersion procession with ‘Saang’(a structure made by bamboos to place the idols on it before moving for immersion).

Superintendent of police, Krishnagar PD, Biswajit Ghosh said, “Carrying idols with saang on shoulders of bearers is completely banned as this type of immersion procession will violate the very motive of the High Court guidelines. We cannot allow the puja organizers to conduct such a traditional immersion process for this year only after considering the ongoing pandemic situation.”

Mr Ghosh also said, “If any puja organizer violates the high court guidelines and covid protocols, we will take legal action against them.”

During the Kali puja, same restrictions and covid protocols were imposed while a puja committee of Harijan Palli deliberately violated the guidelines and took out procession carrying idols with saang on the shoulders of the carriers. 

“We have initiated a case against the puja committee and charges under section 188 of Indian Penal Codes for violating court order and government order and sections under epidemic act have been slapped against the committee members”, a senior police officer said.   

This apart, the Krishnagar police district has also imposed some restrictions while conducting Jagaddhatri puja. In this respect, the Krishnagar police district had conducted a meeting with puja organizers and ruling party leaders where Mr Ghosh had clearly mentioned that all puja pandals should be declared as a containment zone. “In case of smaller puja, maximum 20 persons shall be allowed (not more than 15 persons at a time) and in case of big puja pandal, maximum 60 persons shall be allowed (not more than 45 persons at a time)”, Mr Ghosh said.

While informing about immersion related guidelines, Mr Ghosh said, “No carnival programme will be allowed. No procession will be allowed for immersion of idols. Band parties and lighting arrangements will not be allowed on the way to immersion ghat. The shortest possible route from pandal to immersion ghat shall be taken for the purpose of immersion.”

Meanwhile, a considerable number of Krishnagar people want to conduct their ‘traditional way of immersion process’ i.e. carrying idols with saang on shoulders of carriers. Most of the puja committees had appealed to the SP, Mr Ghosh. In this regard, the ruling party leaders who are patronizing several baroari and club pujas are in trouble as this ‘saang issue’ has become a sentimental issue before them ahead of the assembly polls. The BJP leaders have kept close watch on this matter and they are looking for how the ruling party leaders manage the issue.   

18 unclaimed dead bodies rotting inside the police morgue in Saktinagar district hospital since last three months during Covid situation

18 unclaimed dead bodies rotting inside the police morgue in Saktinagar district hospital since last three months during Covid situation 

When asked, Dr Aparesh Bandapadhyay, Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH), said, “I have written to all concerned to clear the bodies from the police morgue immediately. I will not divulge anything more.”

                  

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News

KRISHNAGAR, 24 JULY: Amid the steep rise in the Covid-19 cases, unclaimed dead bodies are not being disposed of for months from the police morgue in the Saktinagar district hospital in Nadia.

A total of 18 unclaimed bodies have been rotting since the last three months, while the sub-divisional officer in Krishnagar for unknown reason has not granted permission to dispose of the bodies yet.

The situation is concerning because the unclaimed bodies are taking up the capacity of the mortuary. The district hospital authority is now unable to allow the police to keep new unidentified bodies in the police morgue.

The situation has become so serious at a time when barely a month ago, a disturbing video of decomposed bodies being loaded into a van at a crematorium in southern Kolkata was widely shared on social media, prompting Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to tweet his anguish at the "disposal of dead bodies with heartless, indescribable insensitivity" and forcing the authorities to issue clarifications.

The authorities were also forced to deny claims by the locals protesting at the crematorium and the BJP that the bodies were of those who died due to coronavirus.

The West Bengal Health Department later had informed that dead bodies were not of COVID patients, but were unclaimed/unidentified bodies from Hospital Morgue.

“These bodies are also not of Covid patients, but the bodies which are all unidentified or unclaimed should immediately dispose. The morgue has no capacity to take new such bodies as all rakes are full now”, said a source placed in the Saktinagar district hospital.

When asked, Dr Aparesh Bandapadhyay, Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH), said, “I have written to all concerned to clear the bodies from the police morgue immediately. I will not divulge anything more.”

A senior police officer in Kotwali police station said, “This police morgue is entitled to keep unclaimed bodies recovered from police station areas under Krishnagar and Tehatta sub-division areas. The capacity to keep such bodies in this police morgue is 18 and at present all rakes are full. So, if any unclaimed body is recovered now, then it will be very troublesome to the concerned police station as there is no place to keep such a body in the morgue”.

Recently, the hospital superintendent and the IC, Kotwali, got involved in a hot altercation on the matter to keep an unidentified body in the police morgue. Later, realizing the security matters inside the hospital premises ( which often the Kotwali police extend their help ), the hospital super agreed to keep an unidentified body in the police morgue, a police officer said.

A senior official of the Saktinagar district hospital said Manish Verma, SDO, Sadar, is the sole responsible for not granting permission to dispose of the bodies from the police morgue. “The reason for not granting permission is not clear, but we think that during this pandemic situation, he is probably not taking any risk”, the official opined.

Mr Verma was not available for his comment.