Sharp showers, record crowds, rowdyism keep city police on toes during festival
Times of India | 4 October 2025. Added to the mix were instances of hooliganism, the perennial traffic snarls, and weather-related hiccups.
Despite the challenges, police managed to keep crowd and traffic management smooth, ensuring the festival passed without major disruption.
According to senior officers at Lalbazar, 10,000 police officers were on the streets on Chaturthi. This number was increased to close to 13,000 from Saptami.
Though rain had been predicted, it turned out to be sporadic, hardly affecting pandal-hoppers. But the short sharp spells made the crowd swell at unexpected hours when police deployment was sparse.
Overall, 475 people were arrested for hooliganism and disorderly conduct, including several inside pandals and from puja queues post-midnight. The Winners team and the flying squads, especially formed to handle puja crowd, were dispatched to different pandals and important crossings as required, leading to this large number of arrests, claimed a joint CP.
Kolkata Police issued a notice to Tridhara Sammilani Durga Puja committee, directing them to stop the Aghori dance in the interest of visitors' safety.
The letter issued by Rabindra Sarobar Police Station stated that the dance in front of the pandal and two other places was causing serious congestion, posing safety concerns for revellers. The performance was stopped briefly.
Similarly, Deshapriya Park had to stop pandal-hoppers from entering the pandal for a brief while, and its organisers were seen in animated conversation with DC (southeast) Bhola Nath Pandey, trying to ease the crowd pressure.
Police had to similarly intervene at Kashi Bose Lane puja after allegations of frayed crowd tempers, with pandal-hoppers alleging mismanagement of both general and VIP entry.
The Bidhannagar Police rushed to Arjunpur Amra Sobai near Nagerbazar after a stampede-like situation and wide rumour-mongering. Though no one was injured, the cops reworked the entry and exit plans, and pandal-hoppers were stopped from entering the pandal on Saptami morning until all precautionary measures were in place.
The Kolkata Police faced its biggest challenge at Maddox Square, where multiple complaints of disorderly conduct were reported. Several civic volunteers were deployed to spot the troublemakers. The challenge only increased after a video surfaced and gained wide traction, reportedly showing a young man speaking in Bengali being labelled a Bangladeshi. This led to cops increasing their presence around Maddox Square.
"Parking becomes a major issue during the festival. The police managed everything calmly, from parking arrangements to directions," said Ashok Dey of Mudiali Club.
