he organisers of the Durga Puja pandal at Santosh Mitra Square in Kolkata, inaugurated on Friday by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Saturday accused the police of trying to force them to close it down on the pretext of posing a threat to public safety.Sajal Ghosh, BJP leader and organiser of the pandal, claimed that there have been efforts by the police to stop the light and sound show based on the Operation Sindoor theme.Mr. Ghosh, who is also a councillor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, said the police have barricaded the area. “People are not able to come from any part of Sealdah station. Only those who can break through the barricades can enter it,” he said.Mr. Ghosh said if the situation persists, he will be compelled to shut down the pandal. He said there are many Durga Pujas pandals in the city presided over by Trinamool Congress leaders, but only their pandal is being targeted.Police issue letterThe BJP leader said the Muchipara police station had sent a letter to the organisers questioning the use of loudspeakers and audio-visual display at the pandal. “Such activities, especially in a location that attracts massive footfall, have resulted in serious issues of noise pollution and crowd stagnation, thereby posing a threat to smooth movement and public safety in the area,” the letter dated September 26 read.The puja committee had earlier refused the Durga Puja grant offered by the West Bengal government.Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma denied the charges, asserting that the police are only concerned with public safety as a large crowd has been gathering in a narrow space.“As a large crowd gathers in a limited space, our concern remains to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. If we make people walk a longer distance, it is for the visitors to enter and leave the pandal safely,” he said.1 more dies of electrocution; toll rises to 12One more person was electrocuted on the waterlogged streets of Kolkata on Saturday, taking the death toll since the deluge to 12, officials said.Sumanti Devi, 63, died after coming in contact with live wires on the waterlogged road outside her shop in Khudiram Pally within the Sarsuna police station limits, they said.She was lifting the shutter of her shop, which had been closed since Tuesday’s deluge, when the accident happened. She collapsed on the ground and was declared dead after she was taken to a hospital, they added. Two bystanders, who tried to save her, suffered minor injuries.Earlier, 11 people had died of electrocution in the waterlogged roads of Kolkata and its neighbourhood after heavy rain lashed the city in the early hours of Tuesday.The India Meteorological Department said that a new low pressure area is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal on October 1 and it would bring rain in the next seven days, with downpour expected at isolated places in some districts of south Bengal. Published - September 28, 2025 02:15 am IST