Ram Navami festivities kicked off with fervour across West Bengal on Sunday, as saffron-clad devotees filled the streets chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and vibrant processions marked the beginning of the celebrations. Amid heightened security, Kolkata alone is witnessing over 60 planned rallies, prompting the deployment of nearly 5,000 police personnel to manage law and order.
The city’s streets came alive with saffron flags, devotional songs, and tableaux depicting scenes from the Ramayana. Senior police officials, including deputy commissioners and joint commissioners, are monitoring rally routes, with drones and CCTV surveillance feeding live footage to Lalbazar police headquarters. Sensitive areas like Entally, Chitpore, and Khidderpore have been placed under special watch.
State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar warned against any disruptions, asserting, “Ram Navami celebrations will be held, no matter what you do.” Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari is also set to hold events across Nandigram, Howrah and Purba Medinipur. He claimed that over 1.5 crore Hindus would participate in more than 2,000 rallies statewide.
RSS and its affiliates reportedly aim to mobilise over three crore people throughout the week-long celebrations. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has accused the BJP of attempting to communalise the occasion. “They want politics over religion and create some sort of disturbance,” said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
With the 2026 Bengal assembly polls looming and regional sensitivities heightened by recent violence in neighbouring Bangladesh, this year’s Ram Navami has evolved into a politically charged event, underlining the growing BJP-TMC rift in the state.
