
Decades of Restrictions Give Way to Unrestrained Celebration in East Midnapore PHULBANI, EAST MIDNAPORE, WEST BENGAL — In a village approximately ten kilometres from Contai (Kanthi), a Durga Puja celebration has become the focus of a remarkable local story. After decades of reported restrictions on its festivities, Phulbani witnessed a Durga Puja celebrated with renewed …

The gang-rape of two 15-year-old Hindu girls in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district is a devastating indictment of the vulnerability of children, the brutality of sexual violence and the urgent need for justice that is swift and uncompromising. According to a complaint filed by Bijoy Sarkar at Goalpokher Police Station on October 21, Muhammad Arbaz, …

Bengali actress Sohini Guha Roy shared a photograph on her official Facebook page, standing before the idol of Goddess Durga on 12th October. Her caption was simple: “Mother has arrived”, a familiar expression of devotion and anticipation in Bengal, where Durga Puja is a religious festival and an inseparable part of the region’s cultural identity. …

By Tanmay Majumdar, General Secretary, Bogura Majumdarpara Temple Committee Durga Puja is a celebration of faith, dignity and the triumph of good over evil. Yet, for us, preparing for Durga Puja has become a fearful exercise. By 9th October, our arrangements were nearly complete. Alarmed by repeated attacks on Durga idols across Bangladesh, we began …

The Nakurtala Sarbojonin Puja Committee pandal in the Lalbagh area of Murshidabad under West Bengal was targeted by one or more unidentified arsonists on 4th October, an apparent arson attack that could have had far more devastating consequences had the flames gone unnoticed. According to the puja committee, an unusual and seemingly deliberate mechanism was …

Insaf Kayemkari Chhatra Sramik Janata’s 8-Point Charter Seeks a Ban on Idol Immersion, the Removal of Puja Mandaps From Public View, Limits on the Number, Size and Height of Durga Pratimas, an End to Government-Funded Food for Impoverished Hindus, No Public Holidays for Puja and Compulsory Political Protests by Hindu Puja Committees Over Perceived Persecution …

Fresh tensions have erupted in Purba Medinipur District after local Hindu residents began preparations for this year’s Durga Puja in Ward No. 10 of Panskura Municipality. According to local residents, many of the Muslim residents had objected to the Puja preparations during the traditional Khuti Puja ritual, indicating the beginning of the Puja Mandap construction. …

A Muslim mob opposed the construction of a welcoming gate for a Durga Puja mandap near Samudrapur School in Ashoknagar under North 24 Parganas, claiming that the entire locality belongs to Muslims. Hindus preparing to celebrate Durga Puja, the defining festival of Bengali culture, were told that they could not erect a welcoming gate because …

Hindu Voice Team: A shocking incident of religious intolerance has shaken Khulna’s Paikgachha upazila during the ongoing Durga Puja festivities. Police have arrested Rajib Newaz, former joint convener of the BNP’s volunteer wing (Swecchasebak Dal), for allegedly storming a Hindu Puja mandap, verbally abusing devotees, and attempting to assault the presiding priest on Friday night …

Hindu Voice Team: What began as Durga Puja preparations in Kushtia and Natore has turned into a disgraceful episode of religious interference. In a shocking directive, local administrations ordered Hindu organizers to cover the faces of Asurs in Durga Puja Mandap because they had beards and mustaches. The excuse? Such features could “cause misunderstanding.” This …