No blanket ban on Holi celebrations at Santiniketan's Sonajhuri: Bengal minister

Kolkata: Amidst BJP’s claims that the Mamata Banerjee government has banned Holi celebrations at Sonajhuri Haat to appease a particular community, West Bengal Forest Minister Birbaha Hansda on Thursday clarified that her department did not enforce any ban but only requested visitors to be cautious while celebrating the festival of colours.

Hansda told PTI that the forest department’s hoardings and banners were only requests to "save the environment," and that those who wish to play with colours will not be prevented.

Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged in the Assembly that the forest department’s decision to "ban Holi celebrations" at the popular Santiniketan spot was intended to appease a particular community, as Holi coincided with Ramzan fasting.

"This is happening in Santiniketan for the first time. The Mamata administration is doing politics of appeasement. How can the administration say colours should not be sprinkled and Holi cannot be celebrated in Santiniketan? We protest such dualism on the part of administration," he told reporters on the assembly premises.

Hansda dismissed the allegations, saying the banners merely called upon people to help protect the environment and accused the BJP of politicising the issue.

"Sonajhuri is a protected forest area where playing with colours, parking cars, videography and drone usage are completely prohibited," read the forest department’s banners written in Bengali.

Downplaying the issue, the minister, however, said, "We are not imposing a total ban. We are simply making a polite request. But we also urge visitors to support our mission to protect nature, including tree trunks, roots and plants." Asked about the banner restricting vehicle parking and videography, she reiterated that it was only a gentle request.

"It has become the BJP’s habit to add colour to every issue," she added.

Bolpur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rahul Kumar had earlier said several banners had been put up in the area advising visitors not to park vehicles in large numbers and not to celebrate Holi in massive gatherings.

"We are not issuing any diktat. We are only requesting people to avoid large gatherings at one point in the Sonajhuri-Khowai belt on March 14, the day of Doljatra (Holi)," he said.

The official stressed that large crowds and coloured water could cause irreversible ecological damage to the trees.

"We seek police and administrative support to prevent overcrowding and excessive use of colours, but we trust that people will act responsibly," the official had said.

A Visva Bharati University spokesperson reaffirmed that the campus cannot be opened for public for Holi celebrations due to its UNESCO World Heritage status.

Sonajhuri Haat became a major attraction for Holi celebrations after Visva Bharati halted public participation in ‘Basanto Utsav’ (Spring Festival) in 2019.

"We are not opening the varsity campus (to all) for the 'Basanto Utsav' because of the UNESCO World Heritage status," the Visva Bharati spokesperson said.

A Bolpur police officer confirmed that a police outpost was set up in Sonajhuri Haat area months ago, but no order has been issued to restrict public movement.

A senior police officer told reporters that no restriction had been put in place for celebrating Holi anywhere in the district, including Santiniketan and Sonajhuri, on March 14.

District officials, however, said fewer visitors have arrived in the Santiniketan-Bolpur belt this year compared to previous years.

"Whether or not large-scale Holi celebrations take place at Sonajhuri, thousands of people are gathering at Santiniketan, Prantik and other areas to celebrate in resorts, hotels, and playgrounds," Somnath Sow, a student leader of Visva Bharati and a local resident, said.