A right-wing Hindu outfit has demanded action against civic officials after videos of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) garbage trucks transporting Ganesha idols to Thane’s Daighar dumping yard were shared by Shiv Sena (UBT) member. The Hindu organisation alleged that the act showed degrading treatment of immersed Ganpati idols.
On Friday, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Kalyan president Dipesh Mhatre shared videos on social media alleging that around 100 to 150 BMC trucks were used to transport Ganesha idols to the Daighar dumping ground in Kalyan rural for disposal after the one-and-a-half day immersion ceremony.
Demands for Accountability
The video sparked massive outrage on the internet, following which Hindu Janajagruti Samiti demanded strict action against civic officials. Condemning the action, HJS called the act a grave affront to Hindu religious sentiments and the sanctity of Ganeshotsav, which has been accorded state festival status this year. The organisation addressed the issue with the district collectors, municipal commissioners and police commissioners of Thane and Mumbai along with the chief minister and deputy CM, demanding registration of criminal cases.
Prior Warnings Ignored
HJS claimed that prior formal representations had clearly urged a complete ban on transporting idols in waste-collection vehicles, strict prevention of any mishandling or desecration of idols retrieved from artificial immersion tanks and a prohibition on dumping idols with garbage, at deserted locations, or in quarries. However, it alleged that the authorities have failed to enforce these safeguards which has culminated in a serious transgression against religious faith and community dignity.
Call for Reverence and Reform
The organisation called upon the state government to immediately halt the use of garbage vehicles for transporting idols and initiate prompt criminal proceedings against the responsible officials. It also demanded that personnel tasked with retrieval from artificial ponds handle idols with due reverence at all times. It also urged issuance of stringent directives for responsibility, oversight and compliance to prevent recurrence during the forthcoming immersion events.
