Kolkata: Muslims who helped organise Durga pujas as recently as 2025 have found themselves excluded from the committees or had their roles curtailed this year in several Kolkata neighbourhoods, even as a few pockets of sanity continue to uphold the tradition of shared celebrations.In many localities, puja organising committees have been reconstituted without Muslim members; in others, members of the community have reportedly been kept away from core activities. In one neighbourhood, a puja revived through Muslim residents’ efforts has been discontinued.The exclusion of Muslims from a festival long known for transcending religious barriers stands in contrast to calls by some BJP veterans and puja organisers for inclusion and for keeping politics away from the celebrations. In parts of Park Circus and central Kolkata, several Muslims said they remained as involved in organising pujas as they had been in previous years.Sajal Ghosh, BJP MLA from Baranagar and the head of Santosh Mitra Square Durga Puja Committee, pointed at a Muslim friend while addressing a puja function on Wednesday, saying celebrations were incomplete without the participation of Shahid, whom he fondly referred to as “Khan”.“For the next seven to 10 days, let us all take a break from politics. Let us stay together… let us forget about all divisions among us,” Ghosh said.The picture varies from one puja committee to another. At Alipore 78 Pally, where the goddess is worshipped on a ground beside Aftab Masjid, a change in the organising committee has altered the character of a puja known for Hindu-Muslim participation. The earlier committee, led by former Kolkata mayor and Trinamool minister Firhad Hakim, has been replaced by a panel headed by BJP neta Rakesh Singh. The new committee has no Muslim members.For decades, Muslims had taken part in the puja in Gopalnagar, helping raise funds, build the pandal and distribute bhog. The tradition had made the puja a cherished example of shared celebration.“This year, the puja will be conducted strictly in accordance with Sanatani rituals. There are no Muslims in the committee. We have nothing against Muslims, though,” said Sumit Shaw, secretary of the Alipore 78 Pally committee.Ultadanga’s Gouriberia Sarbojonin Durgotsab o Pradarshani has seen a similar change. In 2024, the organisers had set an example of communal harmony by worshipping nine girls from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh communities during Kumari Puja. “We want to break with the past. This year, we are organising the puja by strictly adhering to Sanatani rules. Our theme is Anandamath,” said organiser Manta Mishra.Central Kolkata’s Sharif Lane will miss its Durga Puja this year. The puja, started by a Hindu family in a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood, had stopped around 2005. It was revived in 2021 by social worker Tausif Rahman, who won from Basirhat North in this year’s assembly polls on a Trinamool ticket.“The puja had stopped after the majority of Hindu families left the area for various reasons. We revived the puja in 2021. But since the sole Hindu family in the area has left, we decided not to organise the puja this year,” Rahman said.In Kidderpore, Muslim members of several puja committees said they continue to be associated with Durga Puja, but their roles have been scaled down.Pujas such as Mohammad Ali Park, Akal Bodhan on College Street and Park Circus United Club Durgotsab still have Muslim members in their committees. At Mominpore Sporting Club Durgotsab, Serajul Karim said, “I have not been prevented from getting involved in the puja because of my religion.”
