Come September and it is
festival time in India, It is mainly started with Ganesh Puja and
continue till end of the year but you can count Saraswati Puja too which
falls in February. Specially, Hindus are
famous for their Festivals as it has all colours and ecstasy but it also
bring lots of pain to some other section. Leaving the poor as festival always
gloomy equation for them because leave alone festivals they are deprived of
basic necessities but the festival gives nightmare to the riches too. In the
name of festival chanda (donation) collection is gives nightmare to the
traders from all over India.
Extortion in the name of
"chanda" (donations) for puja celebrations in the city is the torture
businessmen, bus owners and even poor autorickshaw operators suffer
alike every year during durga puja. The organisers associated with different
puja committees in different parts of the city have developed an understanding
among themselves for the purpose of collecting "donations" from
businessmen. Every puja committee has a defined area in which it can collect
"donations" from businessmen operating there. The bourgeois of
India also are the worst sufferer. Writing a few incident below but still most
of the cases are never reported. In Mumbai crore spent on Ganesh puja
and things are not so smooth as it looks.
Bengal
Leads the way
There is a tradition of
collecting donation which is equivalent to "subscription" as
it is usually equally shared between families or individuals to celebrate the Durga
Puja in West Bengal. However, it is not an uncommon sight to see several
youngsters, standing with sticks to collect money forcefully from
vehicles that ply on the road that is closer to them. There had been even
fights, vehicles running over these extortionists resulting in deaths, and
traffic jam that results from this show of muscle power.
1. The signboard of a
medicine shop on Bondel Road was allegedly damaged by organisers of a Kali puja
after the owner refused their demand for a Rs 20,000 donation. Rakesh
Kumar Prasad, the owner, found two letters missing from the signboard of JP
Medical Stores on Diwali morning. The signboards of the two adjoining shops
were also damaged.
2. A member of a north Calcutta
puja organising committee has been arrested for allegedly demanding a donation
of Rs 61,000 from a railway
contractor. Basant Kumar Gupta, a resident of Haritaki Bagan Lane, had lodged a complaint against the accused,
Shambuddha Mondal, after being repeatedly pressured to make the specified
donation to the Haritaki Bagan Lane Durgotsav Committee.
3. A truck driver and
his associate is reported to have been beaten at Angadpur of Durgapur. News agencies reported that the two has been
beaten up severely by the members of a local club for denying paying a hefty
donation for Basanti Puja. The two
has to be admitted to hospital.
4.
With
less than a month left for the Pujas, complaints of extortion in the name of
collecting subscriptions are pouring in from every corner of the city. Though
police promise prompt action - only if a complaint is made - the fear of
reprisal by hooligans prevents many from walking up to a police station. P.P. Thomas has realised this the hard way.
He had stood up to the excessive demands made by his neighborhood Puja
committee, Bhukailash Young Boy's
Society. The club not only demanded a huge subscription, but also sought
free power from Asha Apartment, where Thomas stays. The pandal, too, would be
at the apartment gate. Unlike others,
Thomas decided to lodge a complaint with the Ekbalpore police station. He faced the consequences on Tuesday
night. He was beaten up by members of
the club following an argument. According to police, they also snatched his
gold chain. Barun Das, a club member, was arrested in this connection.
East – Following the Big
Brother
The donation collectors of Poipara Durga Puja Udjapan Committee
allegedly attacked the residence of a journalist at Bokshipara under Sonadanga
in Khulna on Friday as they were denied donations for Durgapuja of Poipara
Temple.
Jharkhand
Ranchi: The time of the year
has come when businessmen in the city are harassed and threatened by teenagers
in the name of collecting donations for Saraswati
Puja. Students turn 'extortionists'
at this time of the year. They turn up at any shop at any time of the day in a
group and demand as much as Rs 25,000
in donation. If anyone refuses to budge, they vandalize the shop and assault
the owner. According to the law, putting pressure on an individual for any kind
of donation is equal to extortion.
In another incident, gang of
youth even demanded Rs 20,000 from a
shop-owner in Lalpur. Despite strict guidelines set by Jamshedpur Kendriya
Durga Puja Committee, cases of forcible chanda (donations) sought by puja
committees are being reported in the city with every passing day.
Allegations against the puja
committees of Adityapur, Jugsalai, Mango
and Sidhgora have come to fore and
angry residents are planning to meet Senior Superintendent of Police Akhilesh
Kumar Jha to lodge complaints.
The matters
of faith have been transferred into a money making business.
!!!Never
stand begging for that which you have the power to earn. - Miguel de Cervantes!!!
!!!In
the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery? -
Saint
Augustine!!!
!!!Honesty
is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty. – Plato!!!
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