Durga Puja Carnival held, Journalists face obstacles while reporting in Asansol

 Jyoti Prakash Mukherjee, Asansol:- 

       Durga Puja Carnival has spread beyond Kolkata to various district towns due to the inspiration of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. A different feeling has been created in the minds of Bengalis. The significance of the festival has reached a different height. The industrial city of Asansol has maintained that significance this time too. The Durga Puja Carnival was organized for the third time in the heart of Asansol on October 4th under the joint initiative of the Municipal Corporation and the District Administration. A total of 15 Durga Puja committees of the area participated in this carnival organized at the police line on Burnpur Road. 

       A small cultural program was held at the beginning of the carnival. Conch playing, dhak playing, tribal dance, chhau dance, etc. performed by various artists fascinated the audience. The carnival was inaugurated by the acting minister of the state, Malay Ghatak.

         Asansol Mayor and Barabani MLA Bidhan Upadhyay, Paschim Bardhaman  District Magistrate Ponnambalam S, ADPC Police Commissioner Sunil Kumar Chowdhury, Jamuria MLA Hareram Singh, two Deputy Mayors Abhijit Ghatak and Wasimal Haque, MIMC Gurudas Chatterjee, West Burdwan Zilla Parishad President Bishwanath Bauri, Zilla Parishad Advisor Shivdashan Dashu, Municipal Corporation Chairman Amarnath Chatterjee and others were present. Asansol Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Head) Biswajit Bhattacharya, officials of the Information and Culture Department, police and administration officials, and councilors of all wards of the Municipal Corporation, along with other distinguished guests and other dignitaries were present. One of the attractions of the program was the dance performance by actress Subhashree Ganguly and her troupe. But it was not possible due to rain. However, she was present on the stage.

           Maharaj Swami Soumattanandaji Maharaj of Asansol Ramakrishna Mission, internationally renowned artist Sushant Roy and the Principal of Asansol St. Patrick’s School were present as judges for the carnival.

        Many people were present despite the rain to enjoy this carnival. The police administration officials controlled the crowd quite efficiently. As a result, there was no chaos around the carnival. The administration arranged chairs for the spectators to sit and there were sheds to protect them from the rain. A large police force, RAF, Combat Force and Special Forces were deployed to maintain security.

         However, during the carnival, journalists faced a lot of problems while gathering news due to the violence of a section of YouTubers. Sometimes, there were allegations that a section of the police created obstacles. Their question is, if YouTubers are allowed like this, was it really necessary to invite journalists? YouTubers can be there, but creating obstacles to the work of journalists is never acceptable. The administration definitely needs to think about this.