Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], February 2 (ANI): The Calcutta High Court has stepped in to ensure a peaceful Saraswati Puja celebration at Jogesh Chandra Law College in Kolkata. The court directed the police to provide security for the event, following complaints from law college students that outsiders had taken control of their preparations.
Justice Joy Sengupta instructed that a Joint Commissioner-level officer monitor the situation to maintain law and order.
“This is an application, inter alia, praying for a direction upon the State and the College authorities to provide adequate security and protection in the Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri College and the Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College situated at Prince Anwar Shah Road, Kolkata and to ensure that no outsider can forcefully enter into the college campus and hamper the free ingress and egress to the Saraswati Pujas that are to take place there,” the Calcutta HC said.
This decision comes after students accused an outsider, Mohammed Shabbir Ali, of threatening them and attempting to prevent the celebration. The students expressed relief at the High Court’s order, stating that they have the right to celebrate their religion.
Deshma Gosh, the petitioner and student of the Jogesh Chandra Law College, said that she was relieved by the High Court’s order.
“We do Saraswati Pooja in this college every year. This year as we started preparations for the Pooja on January 29, we were given death and rape threats at the campus by local hooligans. They were not college students. They said that the pooja would not be allowed. It is our right to celebrate our religion. So we had to go to the High Court. We are relieved by the High Court order,” Gosh told ANI.
Another student of the college, Avidipta Paul said, “It is students versus criminals. The hooligans disrupted our activities. We will do our Saraswati Pooja. We will not listen to anybody.”
The court’s order aims to prevent any breach of peace and ensure that the students can carry out their Saraswati Puja celebrations without undue interference from outsiders. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 5 at 2 pm.
The court also ordered a Joint Commissioner-level officer to oversee security arrangements, and armed police to be deployed in front of the college to ensure safety and security.
“The police under the supervision of any Officer of the rank of Joint Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, as nominated by the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata would ensure that no breach of peace takes place at the venue and in the vicinity. They shall post armed police in adequate numbers in front of the College to ensure the safety and security of the students, the teachers and the passers-by,” the court said.
The court mandated that separate pujas be held for the Day College and Law College departments and the entire event to be filmed, and instructed the Charu Market Police Station to dismantle an illegal puja pandal set up inside the Day College premises by noon and document the process.
“Appropriate directions may be passed to the College authorities and the State so that the College students of both the Colleges can carry out their respective Saraswati Pujas without undue interference by outsiders,” the Calcutta HC said.
“It appears that there is a structure built by someone who is not owning it up. Both the College authorities disown the structure. It purportedly prevents the ingress and egress to the other side. Therefore, let the said structure be removed by the police authorities. Let the Inspector/Officer-in-Charge of Charu Market remove the said structure by noon tomorrow i.e., 1st February 2025,” the Calcutta HC said.
“The present students of the two Colleges as nominated/designated by their respective Principals would be in charge of holding their respective Saraswati Pujas. For the demolition of the structure which is blocking the ingress and egress, necessary videography has to be done by the local police authorities while the performance of Pujas will be videographed by the respective College authorities,” the court said.
The police were ordered to prevent individuals with pending complaints from entering the college premises, permitting only students from the two departments to participate. (ANI)
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