1234 Kolkata: Temples in different parts of the city were decked up and several processions hit the streets as members of various communities in the city celebrated Hanuman Jayanti on Saturday.
Devotees thronged the 372-year-old Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple at Burrabazar. Mahesh Sharma, a member of the puja committee there, said, "This is the oldest Hanuman temple in Kolkata, and people of different communities visited from different parts of the city."
About 5,000 people, including members of Hindu Seva Dal, took out a rally from the Hanuman temple on Keshav Chandra Sen Street near College Street to another Hanuman temple close to Hedua in the evening. BJP functionaries, like Suvendu Adhikari and Arjun Singh, joined the rally. Trinita Ghosh, a member of the organising committee, said, "People across caste and creed join in the festivity and share prasad." Some Muslim residents from Kalabagan were also seen chanting "Jai Shree Ram" at the Keshav Chandra Sen Street temple. Among them was Karim Khan, who said, "Be it Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Eid or Hanuman Jayanti, every festival in Bengal is a celebration of brotherhood."
Calcutta HC on Friday denied permission to Hindu Seva Dal to hold a mass recital of Hanuman Chalisa on Red Road. Sudeep Ram, state president of Hindu Seva Dal, said, "We plan to move the Supreme Court. If granted a nod, we will hold it elaborately on Red Road next year."