Palghar, Maharashtra: The Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police Commissionerate has issued prohibitory orders banning the photography and circulation of images or videos of partially immersed Ganesh idols during the upcoming immersion days.
Police ban on idol immersion photography
The order, issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Ashok Virkar, states that during Ganesh idol immersion on September 2 and September 6, some idols that do not fully dissolve often resurface on lakes or float back to shore with the tide. Photographs of such idols, or of municipal staff collecting them, have in the past led to religious sentiments being hurt and public unrest.
Reason behind the prohibitory order
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To prevent law-and-order issues, the police have invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023 and prohibited individuals from clicking, publishing, or circulating such images.
Consequences for violators
The order will remain in force across the jurisdiction of the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Commissionerate from September 2 to September 14, 2025. Any violation will attract punishment under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.
DCP’s clarification on the order
The DCP clarified that the order has been issued in the interest of public peace and communal harmony, and that individual notices to all citizens were not possible, hence the ban has been imposed through a public notification.
