A billboard with Goddess Durga next to a pot of biryani sparkles in the city of Hooghly
An artist prepares an idol of Goddess Durga in his workshop on October 12, 2026 | Photo credit: ANI
A billboard of a biryani shop featuring an image of Goddess Durga next to a pot of biryani has sparked controversy in West Bengal’s Hooghly, with a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA claiming it has hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.
The poster was placed outside a high-rise residential complex in the Hindmotor area of Uttarpara. It featured a Bengali tagline that translates to “Devotion to the Puja-Flavored Goddess… Rock Star”.
A group of locals gathered in front of the poster on Sunday (October 11, 2026) questioning who had authorized the use of the image of the goddess along with non-vegetarian food, a police official said. The trader was later asked to remove all such posters, the official said.
BJP’s Uttarpara MLA Dipanjan Chakraborty demanded immediate removal of the poster. “This cannot be tolerated. It is not about eating non-vegetarian food. How dare anyone put a picture of Maa Durga next to biryani?” he said, saying the billboard had hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. Legal action would be taken if similar ads were found in the future, he said.
Earlier, an argument broke out when a religious outfit circulated a poster in Siliguri urging people to buy biryani only from Hindu traders.
“Nobody wants to not eat biryani. Eat it, but from Hindu shops,” said a poster on Sunday (October 11, 2026) from the Hindu Jagaran Manch, which is affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP’s ideological parent.
These incidents took place against the backdrop of an ongoing dispute over keeping non-vegetarian food out of Durga Puja pandals.
On August 26, the Hindu Parishad Vishwa issued a demand that non-vegetarian food be kept away from Durga Puja pandals to preserve the sanctity of the religious festival. In the backdrop of this controversy, a similar appeal was filed by the head priest of Bageshwar Dham, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, on September 7.
Within | Kumartuli: where clay comes alive
Expert moves: While some workshops maintain the traditional shabeki style, others experiment with contemporary designs to meet specific orders.
Work in progress: Ahead of Durga Puja, artisans perfect the clay idols of Goddess Durga, Lord Ganesha and other deities at Kumartuli in Kolkata.
Priming: An artisan sprays paint on a clay idol in Kumartuli, where few women have broken barriers to take up the traditionally male-dominated craft.
Divine details: The idols cost between ₹50,000 and ₹3,000, depending on their size, with production costs being environmentally friendly.
Decked out to impress: People throng to photograph the idol of Goddess Durga as it prepares to be transported from Kumartuli.
Form to faith: Artisans breathe life into clay idols that will soon grace puja pandals and move devotees
Shaped by time: For many artisan families, idol-making is a generations-old tradition, with Durga Puja believed to have been first celebrated in Krishnanagar in Nadia district in 1606.
Festive Atmosphere: One of Kolkata’s most celebrated festivals, Durga Puja brings communities together to celebrate faith while providing sustenance for many.
Young fans: Visitors take selfies and pose next to unfinished idols of Goddess Durga at Kumartula.
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They provoked sharp reactions and many described them as an attempt to introduce vegetarianism. Several BJP leaders distanced themselves from the controversy and said they were not against people preferring non-vegetarian food during the puja.
During the campaign for the 2026 West Bengal elections, the BJP leadership tried hard to convince voters that the party was not trying to impose vegetarianism, with party leaders putting fish in the foreground.
Published – 12 October 2026 21:35 IST