Media personalities and other influential people are spreading rumours that the Durga Puja Pandal in West Bengal has had its weapons taken away.
Claims went viral on the social media after few users like Suresh Chavhanke “Sudarshan News” (“@SureshChavhanke“) wrote “Even the weapons were taken out of the hands of Maa Durga?” after sharing the picture with other users.
शस्र-अस्त्र भी माँ दुर्गा के हाथ से निकाल लिए ? pic.twitter.com/OStQkqoCdn
— Suresh Chavhanke “Sudarshan News” (@SureshChavhanke) October 20, 2023
A verified user on twitter, @peldijiye shared the photo of the Durga idol with no weapons where West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is also seen standing. He asked the other users in his twitter post that whether anyone is observing this Mata Durga idol? He added Mamata ji has taken out all of the guns, ammunition, and weaponry. He asked Is this not an assault on religion? Are we progressively going to die? Are we compelled to give in to the crimes committed by these green locusts and the governments that support them? Has the Mughal era not begun again? All these questions shocked him. He has received more than about 10k views on X after sharing his thoughts.
आप ये माता दुर्गा की प्रतिमा देख रहे हैं …???
— ठरकी लेहरू (@peldijiye) October 18, 2023
हथियार, अस्त्र, शस्त्र सब हटवा दिया है ममता जी ने
यह पूछिए इस औरत को, ऐसा क्यों?
क्या यह धार्मिक अघात नही?
क्या हम शनै शनै मृत होते जा रहे है?
क्या हम इन हरे टिड्डों और उनके सहयोगी सरकारों के अत्याचारों के आगे विवश है?
क्या पुनः… pic.twitter.com/c3rSaRzeMb
Riniti Chatterjee Pandey (“@mainRiniti“) posted the same picture on twitter on Oct 20,2023. She wrote “Maa Durga has been made weaponless. This is Bengal which is changing rapidly under Mamata’s rule. If not stopped, it will become Bangladesh.”
माँ दुर्गा को अस्त्र शस्त्र विहीन बनाया है ये बंगाल है जो ममता के शासन में जिस तेज़ी से बदल रहा है अगर रोका ना गया तो बांग्लादेश बन जायेगा pic.twitter.com/mNzuWJyrsx
— Riniti Chatterjee Pandey (@mainRiniti) October 20, 2023
Several other verified accounts on twitter, including The Abhishek Tiwary (“@atsshow7“), Kreately.in (“@KreatelyMedia“), Keya Ghosh (“@keyakahe“) also made misleading claims, contributing to the spread of false information.
What is the Real Truth About the Picture? : Fact
The truth is that this is an outdated 2020 photo. The BJP Bengal IT cell initiated this agenda. It was not the original, but a theme piece depicting a place of worship. Durga Puja is celebrated annually with multiple themes. A Russia-Ukraine war theme was chosen by several organisers last year.
The Indian EXPRESS published an article on Sep 17,2022 where they shared the incomplete picture of Baguiati Nazrul Park Development Society, who made the best theme of last year’s puja- “Russia-Ukraine war”. It wrote “Russia-Ukraine war will emerge in Calcutta puja, Nazrul Park’s theme is ‘unfinished’ in ‘world peace message’!”
When it comes to the theme Puja, a small sculpture is always utilised for the original ritual. They are always carrying a weapon or अस्त्र-शस्त्र. Additionally, according to customs preceding Sasthi, none of those sculptures may have weapons on them; this photo from the inauguration predates that.
Anandabazar Online’s top pick, the Durga idol of Barisha Club, will be preserved by the Jindal Group. On Dashami, the South Kolkata puja committee received such wonderful news. The Jindal group made the final decision regarding the statue’s preservation, according to Barisha club officials. In Newtown, a museum is being built by the Jindal Group. ‘Bhager Ma’ by Barisha Club was decided to be kept there once the museum is constructed. Members of the Jindal clan planned to transport the idol from the Barisha Club pavilion to Shalboni on October 17 last year.
An article by i Share was published on Oct 2, 2021. On the day of Durga Puja, people worship Durga and adorn her with weapons. She was provided various weapons, needed to defeat Mahisasur, the demon, when she set out to battle him. Goddess Durga is portrayed as having ten arms, signifying that she shields her followers from ten different directions. The eight corners of the earth, as well as the sky above and the earth below, are the ten directions. Goddess Durga has ten hands, each of which holds a different weapon. They are the following: a thunderbolt, mace, snake, flame, conch, lotus, sword, arrow, and bow.
This year’s theme included topics like Football, Cricket World Cup, and climate change.
Telegraph India shared an image of different students from Sreedham Gangasagar Swami Kapilananda Vidyabhaban standing in front of idol to explain environment disasters to minister and other guests.
A 75-foot statue of Lionel Messi will be unveiled by Brazilian legend Ronaldinho at a pandal in Kolkata during Durga Puja. sportskeeda wrote “Ronaldinho set to inaugurate pandal with 75-ft statue of Lionel Messi as part of visit to Kolkata during Durga Puja” in an article published on Oct 3,2023.
The 2020 Behala Nutan Dal Puja Pandal featured a peace theme and was crafted from paper. Check out the original full video below.
D-Intent’s Fact- Checking Results:
1234
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) October 20, 2023
ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT: Influencers, including media personalities, are circulating news claiming that weapons from the Durga Puja Pandal in West Bengal have been taken away. The fact is that this is an old image from 2020. (1/5) pic.twitter.com/vYFeUsgsxY
Intent:
In an attempt to spread their propaganda during Durga Puja, self-described religious journalists spread outdated pictures of the Goddess along with untrue narratives.
Conclusion:
Claim : News that weapons from the Durga Puja Pandal in West Bengal have been removed is being circulated by influencers, particularly media personalities.
Fact : The fact is that this is an old image from 2020. Instead of the original, that sculpture was a theme that represented a place of worship.
