West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered a 24-hour halt to immersions of idols of Goddess Durga this year due to Muharram. If one sees this in the light of similar orders in the past, it does not seem to relate to law and order at all. Last year too, Vijayadashami took place a day ahead of Muharram, and Mamata Banerjee had then halted the immersion of idols. Her order was criticized by a single bench of Calcutta High Court headed by Justice Dipankar Dutta, which described the order as ‘arbitrary’ and a “clear endeavour to appease the minority section of public”. “To put it straight, the State government has been irresponsibly brazen in its conduct of being partial to one community, thereby infringing upon the fundamental rights of people worshiping Maa Durga”, the High Court had observed. It is now clear that Mamata Banerjee wants to appease the Muslims and wants to consolidate her vote bank. But the chief minister should know that creating a wedge between Hindus and Muslims for petty political gains does not portend well, either for West Bengal or for the rest of India. People of both communities have the right to celebrate, but imposing unreasonable restrictions is unfair.

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