Kolkata turns into fortress as it braces for over 60 Ram Navami rallies

Around 4,000 to 5,000 police personnel have been deployed across Kolkata with more than 60 Ram Navami rallies being planned in the city on Sunday (April 6). The city has a history of violence breaking out at the rallies associated with the festival.

Vibrant processions could be seen since morning, amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram”, as devotees thronged the streets with saffron flags, as devotional music and tableaux depicting scenes from the Ramayana added to the grandeur of the celebrations.

Senior officers to oversee security

Senior police officials, including those of the rank of deputy commissioner and joint commissioner, have been tasked with overseeing security across the rally routes.

“Lakhs of Hindus are expected to hit the roads on Ram Navami. I would urge the state government to take steps so that it can be celebrated peacefully. Any attempts to forcefully halt the celebrations won’t be tolerated. Ram Navami celebrations will be held, no matter what you do,” state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar asserted.

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Mamata, Governor wish people

In the morning, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor CV Ananda Bose greeted people on Ram Navami, and appealed to them to celebrate the festival in a peaceful manner.

Mamata wished the celebration of Ram Navami a success, in a peaceful manner. “Greetings to all on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami. I appeal to all to maintain and uphold the values of peace, prosperity and development of all,” the chief minister added.

“On the occasion of Shri Ram Navami HG conveys his greetings to all. May Shri Ram bless us all. May Shri Ram guide us and show the right path,” Governor Bose said in a post on X.

Suvendu to lay foundation of temple

The West Bengal Police has taken all precautionary measures across the state to maintain law and order during the Ram Navami festivities, officials said.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of a Ram Mandir in his Nandigram assembly constituency, has also lined up programmes in Howrah and Purba Medinipur.

Adhikari recently claimed that not less than 1.5 crore Hindus would come out to celebrate Ram Navami this year, and more than 2,000 rallies would be organised across the state.

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Sangh rallies planned

BJP-aligned Hindutva organisations, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu Jagaran Manch, are also organising processions in West Bengal.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliates have reportedly set a target of mobilising over three crore participants during the week-long celebrations that began on Sunday, with rallies planned in every block of the state.

Turned into political event: TMC

The ruling Trinamool Congress, meanwhile, has accused the BJP of trying to communalise the occasion.

“The BJP is trying to turn Ram Navami into a political event. They are not into the politics of development. They want politics over religion and create some sort of disturbance. Bengal will not tolerate this,” said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.

Police preparations

Police sources said that drones and CCTVs are being used extensively to keep a close tab on all processions. Quick response teams have also been stationed at sensitive locations such as Entally, Cossipore, Kidderpore, and Chitpore in Kolkata.

Live footage of the rallies is being streamed to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar, where more than 20 IPS officers have been assigned to supervise different city divisions.

In the districts, senior IPS officers are monitoring the situation in Howrah, Hooghly, North 24-Parganas, Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Bardhaman, Malda, Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, and Siliguri to ensure that the celebrations remain peaceful.

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Bangladesh backdrop

The backdrop of this year’s Ram Navami includes recent incidents of violence against Hindus in neighbouring Bangladesh and the run-up to the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections, making the celebrations politically charged.

What has traditionally been a religious occasion has now emerged as a significant flashpoint in the ongoing tussle between the BJP and the TMC, with both parties accusing each other of trying to use religion for political gains.

While the BJP is pushing to consolidate Hindu votes, the TMC has accused the saffron party of trying to provoke unrest in the state.

(With agency inputs)