West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s appeal to end protests over the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and return to Durga Puja festivities has been met with strong disapproval from both the protesters and the victim’s parents.
They argued that the current situation was not appropriate for a festival. However, in West Bengal, Durga Puja is not just about celebrating the festivity. It acts as the largest source of livelihood for lakhs of people in the state, including puja organisers, small retailers, restaurant owners and hawkers.
Last year, the chief minister had informed that as per the British Council, Durga Puja generated business worth more than Rs 70,000 crore. She claimed the figure might have crossed Rs 80,000 crore. Kolkata alone is believed to contribute 20 per cent to the figure.
Business tied to Durga Puja typically takes place in the one to two months leading up to the festival. However, the month-long protests in Kolkata since August 9 have severely impacted the livelihoods of those who rely on this period for their income.
Due to daily protests occurring across various parts of the city and suburbs, ordinary people are struggling to reach major shopping areas in Kolkata, such as Gariahat, Hatibagan, and New Market.
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“I haven’t seen anything like this. The business is very much down. COVID-19 period was a different. But this time there’s no pandemic or lockdown, yet people are not coming,” Md Wahid, who runs a roadside bag shop in Kolkata’s New Market, told THE WEEK.
Wahid, who has been running his shop for 20 years, believes this is the effect of the protests related to the alleged rape and murder incident at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. “Maybe people think this is not the right time for celebration. I don’t blame them,” he added.
The same was echoed by other street vendors in the New Market area, one of the most significant shopping hubs in Kolkata. At a time when Durga Puja is just three weeks away, the area would typically attract large crowds of shoppers flocking to the stores from early morning.
However, this time the situation is different. Even the evening hours are witnessing empty streets. “During evening, one wouldn’t find a space to stand in New Market when the Durga Puja is just a few weeks away. Generally, we would run out of supply by this time due to high demands,” Mohammad Anwar, a garment shop owner, told THE WEEK.
Despite the losses, he says he supports the movement of junior doctors. He supports their cause and believe they are fighting for a just cause. Anwar also sympathised with the victim’s parents.
He added, “I have a daughter and what happened with the doctor at RG Kar could have happened to my daughter as well. As a father, how can I then go against the protest? I just hope things get resolved soon and the victim’s parents get justice.”
Durga Puja organizers, however, have criticized the celebrities advocating for the boycott of this year’s celebrations. The Forum for Durgotsab, an umbrella group representing community Durga Pujas, argued that protesters should also consider the livelihoods of those who depend on the festival for their income.
“From dhakis to roadside hawkers, these poor people eagerly wait the entire year for the five days of Durga Puja. Justice to the RG Kar victim must not come at the cost of their livelihood,” Saswata Dasgupta, the general secretary of Forum for Durgotsab, told THE WEEK.
