Full Breakdown
Congress Leaders Summoned Over Protest Against Bageshwar Baba’s Durga Puja Remarks
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
West Bengal police summoned two senior Congress figures—Ashutosh Chatterjee, general secretary of the Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, and Pradip Prasad, former president of the South Calcutta district Congress committee—for questioning after they organized a protest against Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, the chief of Bageshwar Dham, commonly known as Bageshwar Baba. The summons took place in the afternoon at Bhowanipore police station, where the leaders were questioned for roughly an hour before leaving. Their protest followed Shastri’s public condemnation of non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja, in which he described such food as “dirty” and labeled those who consume it “Pakhandi” (hypocrites).
Background & Context
Shastri was in Bengal for a three-day Hanumant Katha programme in Liluah, Howrah, when he delivered the remarks that sparked statewide backlash. Earlier in the week, Congress colleague Atanu Das was arrested after filing a police complaint against Shastri; police said the arrest was on allegations of promoting hatred between religious groups and hurting religious sentiments. The chief minister, Suvendu Adhikari, had instructed the Kolkata police commissioner to arrest individuals involved in burning Shastri’s photographs outside the same police station.
Official Statements & Responses
Police officials indicated that Chatterjee and Prasad were questioned about the reasons for their protest and the burning of Shastri’s photographs. The investigation was framed as a response to potential communal tension arising from the protest. No formal charges were announced at the time of questioning.
Criticism & Opposition
Ashutosh Chatterjee described the police interrogation as irrelevant to the protest’s purpose, suggesting that investigators were unaware of the Congress leaders’ motivations. He also framed the controversy as a cultural issue, asserting that the dispute was not about dietary preferences but about perceived insults to Bengali culture and Durga Puja.
Verbatim Quotes
- “They were asking us questions as if they did not know why we were protesting. They were asking irrelevant questions,” — Ashutosh Chatterjee
- “The first thing is that it is not about food, vegetarian or non-vegetarian. It is about a person who has insulted Bengali culture, heritage, and Durga Puja in its own land. We are very straight on one thing: those who stay in West Bengal are all Bengalis, be it Chatterjee, Banerjee, Bose, Das, Jain, Agarwal, or anybody else. This is a state of brotherhood and Durga Puja is for everyone,” — Ashutosh Chatterjee