Show of arms, defiance but Bengal chooses peace on Ram Navami

Kolkata: Bengal witnessed a largely peaceful Ram Navami celebrations on Sunday, despite occasional shows of defiance and open exhibition of weapons in Kolkata and elsewhere under the watchful eyes of over 14,000 cops, who managed the processions with multiple levels of security.With the violent clash two years ago in mind, the police laid out a two-tier security ring for the Ram Navami procession in Howrah's Shibpur, organised by Anjani Putra Sena. This procession was in the glare of Calcutta High Court, which had asked organisers to submit copies of identity proof of 500 members who were participating in the rally. Even as the locality was tense since the morning, the police presence ensured that the rally, covering around 3km till Howrah Maidan, remained mostly peaceful.The zones of Rishra in Hooghly, which saw riots in 2023, also saw Ram Navami rallies without disruptions.Despite the high court's ban on the open show of arms, swords and maces were up on display at rallies — notably in central Kolkata's Ramleela Maidan and Remount Road in south Kolkata. Weapons were also brandished at a Ram Navami rally in Barasat, which was later attended by senior BJP functionaries. Some BJP netas were also seen brandishing trishuls at rallies. In other displays of weaponry, a celebration by Howrah Khatik Samaj in Howrah's Pilkhana saw some rallyists carrying swords; cops seized at least two of those.Till late Sunday, senior IPS officers were on the road, many wearing helmets. Other cops were in riot gear."For two months, we gathered feedback from various places regarding police arr-angements. Based on that, arrangements are in place, and there has been no untoward incident. All sensitive areas were covered," said Kolkata police commissioner Manoj Varma.While all major BJP functionaries rallied across Bengal — in Kolkata and their hometowns — Trinamool upped its efforts to steal the show, with many party MPs, MLAs and councillors offering pujas at Ram and Hanuman temples, walking miles chanting "Jai Siya Ram", involving minorities. Some even honoured VHP invites to attend rallies.Some BJP netas complained of police excesses. Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar questioned the heavy police presence. Former BJP MP Locket Chatterjee complained of "police excesses" after she was stopped from heading to New Town from Kestopur, with Bidhannagar city police citing lack of permission. BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh said TMC was attempting to "hijack" the issue.