Complaint filed against organisers for 'playing Azaan' in Durga Puja Pandal

"Aamra Ek Aka Noye (we are together not alone)" is the theme of North Kolkata's Beliaghata 33 Pally Durga Puja Pandal. Aimed at spreading peace among religions, it has landed the organisers in trouble for playing 'Azaan' (Muslim call for prayer) inside the Puja Pandal.

Advocate Santanu Singha has lodged a complaint with the local police against the organiser of 33 Pally Puja Committee Organiser, Secretary and eight others for "disturbing the peace and tranquillity by playing Azaan in the Puja Pandal."

Singha alleged that the aim of Azaan inside the Pandal is a "very mean political motive."

Asserting that he respects the feelings of Muslims, the complainant said, "Azaan is absolutely a religious practice of the Muslims community. I respect their religious feeling. What is the aim of playing Azaan in Pandal? Nothing, but a very mean political motive. Because it is absolutely a Pooja sponsored by TMC."

Alleging that the intention is to make a division between Hindus and Muslims, he said, "Should I claim tomorrow that Geeta should be chanted from the mosque? Or Chandi should be chanted from Church. That will help religious unity?"

Singh also clarified that he has filed the complaint individually and not on behalf of any party or organisation.

"I individually feel that these types of experiments in the name of religious harmony and secularism should stop because the hidden agenda is different. It is my feeling. It hurts me because I am a Hindu. I will never claim or demand that Geeta should be chanted from the mosque," he said.

In his complaint, based on a video circulating on Facebook, that the persons named should be "immediately apprehended under the cognisable offences being done by them.

"The said persons have hatched a conspiracy against the Hindu religion to degrade them in the society as well as injuring place of worship with the intent to insult the faith and belief of Hindus and further caused malicious acts intended to outrage religious Hindu feelings by insulting their Dharma or religious beliefs," he said in his complaint.

Organiser Sushanta Saha said, "We just heard about the complaint but we have not received any copy till date."

He further added we wanted to portray the unity of all religion that is why we have used models of Temple, Mosque and Church, so as the Azaan is the part of the theme and brings on all the religion together...it is just an initiative which is unnecessarily being politicised."