DURGA POOJA MIGHT JUST BE NEROS KITTY PARTY The city of Kolkata is lit up in a myriad of colors on the occasion of pujo. Large structures called Pandals are set up in various parts of the city, in devotion to the Goddess Durga. Each street is swiped clean, stalls are set up, and dedicated paths are set up for the merry making people. It truly is a grand affair that is arranged in a matter of just a few days on the streets. In the midst of the majestic pandals and merry making of the devotees, we fail to see the true and ugly reality. In the midst of this, a large scale socio-economic survey is being conducted by the students of Presidency University on the homeless of Central Kolkata. We have been able to obtain valuable insights after surveying over 500 people. What we find is shocking - in a gross violation of human rights, the state has been steadily displacing the pavement dwellers during Pujo time. Kolkata police resort to violence to uproot the homeless. Women and children are being beaten with lathis and are sent away. This happens every year right under the noses of the numerous human rights groups. We were shocked to see a local MLA Smita Bakshi and party men shooing them away from pandals. Violence at the hands of the police is not confined to Pujo only as it happens all the year round. It is common to be suddenly displaced and told to leave the state. There have even been cases where ‘ration cards’ have been snatched away. These atrocities existed even in the times of the former government. In fact there have been reports of another ex-official of another party doing exactly the same thing to the homeless. One can be locked up or beaten up for no reason. In rare cases, homes have been burnt. Kolkata represents the some of the worst cases of neglect and oppression. At night, the streets of Kolkata are covered with the bodies of the marginalized. No voter ID or other identification cards matter and they are left vulnerable to the idiosyncrasies to the powerful. As such they are denied voter IDs via long bureaucratic procedures and paperwork. Durga Pujo is modern day Nero’s Kitty Party; it represents gross human rights violations and oppression by the state. The poor have been removed for the aesthetic pleasure of the affluent. This is unconstitutional and barbaric, and it has got to stop. SHARE.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 14:30:48 +0000
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