Cops back off Puja ban, promise funds

KOLKATA: A night of threats, counter-threats, emotional blackmails and political interference finally saw the organisers of a Puja committee in east Kolkata winning over the police, which is now offering financial help to the club for organising the Puja.
Earlier, the police had decided to ban the Puja on Christopher Road following allegations of extortion that led to a ruckus between two communities in the area.Soon, the problem snow-balled into a communal conflict and a ruling party leader stepped in to push police on the backfoot.
In fact, the leader prevented the police from arresting one of the prime accused. “We were instructed not to arrest key accused Dipankar Chatterjee alias Chingri,� said a police officer.
The members of Paribartan Club, however, offer a different story. “We have been victimised. Some local people having links with the police are holding us to ransom. They attacked our boys and even threatened us with firearms,� said organiser Ashok Mitra. “One of our members, Rajib Biswas, is in hospital as his cheek was slashed with a pair of scissors.�
All the local clubs decided on Saturday night to cancel their Pujas in protest against the police ban on Paribartan Club’s Puja. “This created pressure on the police and we had to make a compromise,� said an officer. So, on Sunday morning, the Beniapukur OC and club members held a meeting in which the police allowed the organisers to go ahead with the puja. “Our only solace is that the police have agreed to organise funds for us,� said another organiser Shyamapada Sarkar.