7 months ago
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Civil nine organisations person urged Odisha authorities to reschedule and alteration way of Goddess Kali immersion procession successful Cuttack connected Friday (October 24, arsenic it coincides with Friday Namaaz astatine mosques.
The entreaty came successful aftermath of communal unit that erupted during immersion procession of Goddess Durga aft dusshera solemnisation successful Cuttack.
“It has travel to our announcement that a conception of radical is readying to clasp a Goddess Kali immersion rally successful Cuttack connected Friday, 24 October 2025. The timing of this projected lawsuit coincides with the Friday Namaaz astatine mosques successful the city,” said Biswapriya Kanungo, a civilian close activist.
Mr. Kanungo said, “in airy of the communal tensions witnessed during the Durga Puja immersion connected October 4, determination are superior apprehensions that holding specified a procession astatine the aforesaid clip could disturb nationalist order, endanger safety, and inflame assemblage sensitivities, contrary to the tone of the Odisha Urban Police Act, 2003 (Sections 28 and 30) and different provisions empowering authorities to modulate nationalist assemblies to forestall breaches of peace.”
“We privation to emphasise that each national has the law close to freely profess, practise, and propagate his oregon her religion, arsenic guaranteed nether Article 25(1) of the Constitution of India. However, this close is taxable to attraction of nationalist order, morality, health, and the rights of others, arsenic good arsenic to the work of the State to support bid and harmony nether Article 51A(e), which calls upon each national to beforehand harmony and the tone of communal brotherhood,” remarked Pramilla Swain, Chairperson, National Alliance of Women Organisation (NAWO), Odisha.
Ms. Swain said, “Cuttack has agelong been admired for its enduring contented of communal harmony and brotherhood—‘Bhai-Chara’—where radical of each faiths person coexisted successful an ambiance of communal respect and cooperation. However, fixed the existent sensitivities, a large-scale procession overlapping with Friday prayers whitethorn spot undue strain connected instrumentality and bid arrangements and heighten nationalist anxiety.”
Activists urged, successful the larger involvement of peace, nationalist safety, and inter-community harmony, to reschedule oregon reroute the rally successful consultation with assemblage representatives, section administration, and instrumentality enforcement authorities, ensuring that it does not coincide with Friday prayers.
“The authorities should guarantee each indispensable preventive measures are taken to support tranquillity, harmony, and nationalist information successful the city. Such enactment volition reaffirm the State government’s steadfast committedness to peace, secular values, and societal cohesion, and safeguard Cuttack’s cherished bequest of coexistence and unity,” they said.
