Suvendu Adhikari Praises Mahalaya Arrangements at Kolkata Ghats

Suvendu Adhikari Mahalaya Kolkata remarks highlighted the state government’s security and civic arrangements on Saturday as large numbers of devotees gathered at ghats across Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal to perform Tarpan on Mahalaya.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said programmes had continued throughout the day and praised the police, civic authorities and coastal security personnel for managing the large gatherings.

Thousands of devotees had begun arriving at ghats along the Hooghly from early morning to perform Tarpan and pay homage to their ancestors as Mahalaya marked the transition from Pitru Paksha to Devi Paksha.

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: CM Suvendu Adhikari says, "Programs have taken place all day since morning. This time, Mahishasuramardini took place across all ghats. Such a good arrangement has been made; not a single incident occurred. The police and the Corporation did a good job. Every year during Tarpan, some incident or the other takes place, but this time there were zero incidents. From cleaning the ghats to the way the coastal police deployed launches and boats, and the way lakhs of people performed their traditional rituals, everything has been going on since morning... It is our duty to fulfill the hopes and expectations that people placed in us. We must celebrate and uphold our culture and traditions..."

— ANI (@ANI) October 10, 2026

CM Says No Major Incident Reported

Adhikari said the arrangements at the ghats had been particularly effective this year and claimed that no untoward incident had taken place during the rituals.

“Such a good arrangement has been made; not a single incident occurred.”

The “zero incidents” assessment was made by the Chief Minister in his remarks.

He said previous years had sometimes witnessed incidents during Tarpan but described this year’s management as smooth and well coordinated.

Police and Corporation Praised

The Chief Minister credited the police and municipal authorities for the preparations, including cleaning of ghats and crowd management.

Authorities had deployed additional police personnel at multiple riverfront locations for Mahalaya. In the Barrackpore area alone, surveillance plans included CCTV monitoring, uniformed and plain-clothes police, civil defence personnel and disaster-management teams.

Kolkata Police had also announced special traffic restrictions from Mahalaya onward to handle the expected festival crowds.

Boats and Launches Deployed for River Security

Adhikari also highlighted the deployment of launches and boats by coastal police for water-based surveillance.

Reports from Mahalaya morning said strict monitoring had been arranged along the waterways as large crowds gathered at Ganga ghats across the state.

The measures were intended to improve safety during bathing and Tarpan rituals and allow emergency teams to respond quickly if required.

Lakhs Participate in Traditional Rituals

According to Adhikari, lakhs of people participated in traditional Mahalaya rituals from the morning.

Across Kolkata, devotees gathered at prominent ghats such as Prasanna Kumar Tagore Ghat and Jagannath Ghat to offer water and prayers to departed ancestors.

Large gatherings were also reported at Gangasagar, where thousands performed holy bathing and Tarpan from the early morning.

‘Our Duty to Uphold Culture and Traditions’

Adhikari said the government had a responsibility to fulfil public expectations while protecting Bengal’s cultural traditions.

He said:

“It is our duty to fulfill the hopes and expectations that people placed in us. We must celebrate and uphold our culture and traditions.”

Mahalaya is one of Bengal’s most significant cultural and religious occasions, marking the end of Pitru Paksha and the beginning of Devi Paksha ahead of Durga Puja.

Kolkata Enters Durga Puja Countdown

The Suvendu Adhikari Mahalaya Kolkata remarks came as the city formally entered its annual Durga Puja countdown.

With Tarpan ceremonies completed and Devi Paksha underway, Kolkata is preparing for the main festival days with extensive traffic, crowd-control and security arrangements already being put in place.