Idol Immersion Stuck in Rangpur Land Dispute, District Administration Meeting Fails to Reach Final Settlement

Tension continues in Rangpur city over the withholding of a Durga idol's immersion amid a land ownership dispute at a temporary Durga temple at Thikadarpara Mor. Even after Bijoya Dashami has passed, the idol remains at the pavilion, and the standoff between the two sides shows no sign of easing.

On Thursday evening (22 October), a meeting was held at the Deputy Commissioner's office with both sides present. The meeting, which began around 6:30 pm in the Deputy Commissioner's conference room, heard statements from both parties. However, despite lengthy discussions, no final settlement of the land dispute was reached.

After the meeting, Deputy Commissioner Israt Jahan announced the decision to immerse the idol. She also said that on Sunday (25 October) she would speak with a judge to take steps to resolve the matter, so that everyone in Rangpur can live in peace.

Coming out after the meeting ended around 8 pm, land ownership claimant Rita Rani Roy alleged that district Awami Krishak League leader Prankrishna Goswami Prannu is trying to forcibly occupy their family land. She also alleged that an attempt is under way to turn the temporary puja pavilion there into a permanent temple.

Rita Rani Roy said they did not get justice even after coming to the Deputy Commissioner's office. In her words, an attempt is being made to build a temple on their land, and the Durga idol is being kept at the pavilion without immersion even after Bijoya Dashami in an attempt to occupy the land.

On the other hand, temple committee general secretary Shri Kamal Goswami said they will accept whatever verdict the court gives. After the meeting, it was therefore clear that the final decision on the land ownership question is heading toward the court.

Earlier, from Wednesday evening (21 October), the dispute over the temporary temple's land ownership took a serious turn. At one stage, there were also reports of road blockades, protests and scuffles.

To bring the situation under control, BGB personnel were deployed in the area on the initiative of the district administration. Later, SRB members were also deployed there so that the dispute would not flare up into fresh clashes.

The claimant side alleges that attempts have long been under way to occupy the family land that has been used temporarily for Durga Puja. They claim that permission for temporary use is being used as a means to create a path toward permanent occupation of the land.

The temple committee's claim is different. The committee says the land was booked for purchase with a promise that it would be given in the temple's name, but the owner side is not registering the deed. Amid this dispute, tension spread over the initiative to permanently establish a Kali temple there.

Until 12:30 am on Wednesday night, the Durga idol had not been immersed. Although the district Puja Udjapon Parishad and the Metropolitan Police directed that the idol be immersed, the temple committee reportedly did not agree.

Although the immersion decision was announced after Thursday's meeting, the final settlement of the land ownership dispute still remains pending. Both sides and local residents are now looking toward the administration's discussion with the judge on Sunday.