Safeguarding Cultural and Religious Heritage of Bengali Community
Prayagraj: On Sunday afternoon, officials of the historic Muthiganj Kalibari Temple were conducting an inspection of the temple premises. During this time, previously evicted encroachers—who had been granted temporary reprieve on humanitarian grounds—misused the opportunity by spreading belongings across the premises and engaging in continuous disputes with committee members and devotees. Suddenly, these encroachers instigated violence by pushing women forward to hurl abuses, issue death threats, and physically assault the officials. An attempt was also made to snatch mobile phones. The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras. Police intervention was required to restore order.
For years, allegations have persisted that certain unruly elements have occupied this renowned temple and spread illegal activities. The video of Sunday’s attack, now widely circulated on social media, clearly shows women abusing, pulling hair, and strangling committee member Uttam Kumar Banerjee while threatening him. This aggressive behavior was also directed toward other senior members of the committee.
The committee humbly urges the respected Bengali community of Prayagraj to come forward and actively safeguard this cultural and religious heritage. It is deeply regrettable that despite years of effort, the Bengali community could not preserve Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantavas, the place where Gurudev composed the national anthem.
Today, it is imperative that the unity demonstrated in cultural programs, music, and festivals be extended toward protecting historical heritage. Encouragingly, people from various castes and communities are openly willing to cooperate in saving Muthiganj Kalibari Temple. Members of the Custodian Church of Assets are also part of this campaign.
Heritage protection is not the responsibility of one community alone, but a collective duty of the entire city and the nation.
The committee’s vice presidents Kalyan Sen, Amit Mukherjee, Subroto Gupta, Uttam Kumar Banerjee, and secretary Anupam Mukherjee, along with other officials, have strongly condemned this act. They have demanded from the government that Kanhaiya Tiwari, Geeta Devi, Kanchan, Anshu, Deepak, and Manoj Gupta be immediately removed from the temple premises and that security be provided to committee members. Such actions were clearly intended to later accuse men of exploitation. This incident exposes how women’s legal rights can be misused. Society must openly oppose such disgraceful behavior within temple premises.
