Kolkata: After restricting people from entering the pandal during the Durga Puja, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday said that people will be allowed to enter the pandals and offer prayers and take part in Sindoor Khela (a ritual performed on Dussehra) only if they are fully vaccinated.
“For big puja pandals, 45-60 people will be allowed and for small puja pandals 10-15 people will be allowed,” said the court’s order.
Meanwhile, the Kolkata police also held several meetings to decide on the police picketing during Durga Puja.
According to police sources, the police had given permission for four days of immersion of the Durga idols.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra said that police will be deployed all over the city to avoid any untoward incident.
“All the protocols of Calcutta High Court and state government will be maintained. Since there will be no night curfew police picketing will be there also at night continuously from 12 am to 8 am. People are cautious and are wearing masks and hope they will cooperate with police even during the festivities,” said Mitra.
The police commissioner also added that the immersions will be on October 15-18.
Notably, due to the ongoing pandemic, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also cancelled ‘Durga Carnival', the immersion festival started by the ruling Trinamool Congress.
