Penance and Puja with Bouncers: On the banks of the Mahananda River in Siliguri, a morning meant for observance and devotion turned into a spectacle that has stirred talk across civic and political circles. The festival in question was Chhath Puja — a deeply-rooted ritual in which devotees offer prayers to the rising and setting sun, while adhering to strict fasts and rituals of purification. This year, the ceremony gained added attention when a councillor of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) arrived at the riverbank flanked by what many witnesses described as “bouncers” or private security personnel.
In the following detailed feature, we unpack the incident, its context, the reactions, implications and the wider civic-political dimensions that make it more than a passing moment.
What Happened: The Scene at the Riverbank
On the early morning of Chhath Puja, a large gathering had assembled at the Mahananda riverbank in the Ganganagar area of Siliguri. As devotees prepared for the ritual of arghya (offering to the sun) and performed their fasts, a distinct sight emerged: Anita Mahato entering the designated ghat (riverfront) accompanied by a small group of large-built security personnel who were described by on-lookers as bouncers or private guards.
Mahato then undertook the “dandi” penance — repeatedly lying flat and rising while making her way across the riverbank terrain — a ritual of atonement and devotion, often observed during Chhath by those seeking spiritual purification.
As she proceeded, the entourage stayed close, forming what appeared to be a protective detail. Given the dense crowd and the religious ambience, the presence of such a group drew immediate attention.
Councillor Mahato responded to questions by stressing she had “observed a 36-hour fast and performed all the rituals of Chhath Puja strictly as I had promised ‘Chhathi Maiya’ that if I get the opportunity to serve the people by winning the civic poll, I would strictly follow all Chhath Puja rituals.”
She also clarified: “There are eight Chhath Puja organising committees in my ward. The Chhath Puja committee number two of Ganganagar arranged the bouncers, not me.”
However, municipal observers and opposition figures noted that no other public representative seemed to have comparable security arrangements — at least not visibly — which led the mayor to remark: “Thousands of devotees came to offer their prayers here, but no one else required such escorts. A people’s representative should always act with maturity.”
The Context: Chhath Puja, Civic Space and Political Rituals
Chhath Puja is a major festival among many in eastern India, especially in Bihar, Jharkhand and the Bengal region. Devotees prepare for days — observing fasts, cleaning and decorating ghat spaces, offering arghya to the setting and rising sun, and paying homage to Chhathi Maiya (the lunar deity). During such rituals, public riverfronts, ghats and banks are customary gathering points, and local organising committees often shoulder the responsibility of crowd control, cleaning, safety and ritual facilitation.
In the city of Siliguri, under the jurisdiction of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, the civic apparatus typically coordinates with various committees, temporary structures, security, lighting and crowd-management. Amid this regular festival framework, the participation of elected representatives is standard. What distinguishes this year’s instance is the visible accompaniment of private-looking security at a public religious event by a councillor.
At the intersection of religion, civic administration and politics, certain dynamics come into play:
- Public ritual vs personal display: When a representative attends a communal religious event, the optics matter — whether they are participating as one amongst many, or are visibly elevated with personal entourage or special privileges.
- Security in crowded spaces: Large gatherings pose genuine safety concerns; crowd-management may warrant extra care. But whether that care is driven by public duty or personal convenience becomes the question.
- Political symbolism: Devotion and ritual can double as political capital — showcasing commitment, piety and connection with local voters. When accompanied by entourage or special treatment, the politics become visible.
- Civic resource usage and fairness: Public events are scenically open to all. If one participant appears to receive special treatment, questions of fairness and representation arise.
In this case, the councillor’s penance at the riverbank with a visible security detail has triggered all these dimensions of discussion in Siliguri’s civic-political sphere.
Penance and Puja with Bouncers: Reactions & Voices
Municipal leadership
The mayor of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Gautam Deb, when asked about the arrangements, remarked:
“Thousands of devotees came to offer their prayers here, but no one else required such escorts. A people’s representative should always act with maturity.”
His comment signals a mild rebuke, pointing to perceptions of preferential treatment, and hinting at expectations of equivalence among representatives in public religious venues.
Councillor’s statement
Anita Mahato maintained that the security presence was arranged by the local Chhath committee (Committee No. 2 of Ganganagar) and not by her, emphasising her adherence to ritual discipline and her 36-hour fast.
Party leadership
When the district BJP leadership was approached for comment, one leader (who requested anonymity) said:
“We have seen a video on social media on it and we are looking into the matter.”
The lack of a direct official statement suggests the party is treading carefully between protecting the representative and managing optics.
Public & media observers
Among the crowd and local commentary, reactions ranged from benign curiosity to more pointed criticism. Some observers felt that a councillor needed no “premium” escort in a religious gathering; others considered it reasonable given crowd size and logistic complications. Social-media responses sampled by news outlets highlighted the video of the entry and raised questions about equality in public representation.
What It Suggests: Civic Representation in Focus
While the scene at the ghat may seem minor in isolation, it reflects broader concerns and themes around civic representation, public ritual, power display and community dynamics.
- Credibility of public office
Elected councillors are expected to represent and serve all constituents. When visible privileges (such as a personal security detail) appear in public spaces, questions ensue about fairness, privilege and accountability. - Political visibility via ritual
Rituals like Chhath offer a platform for public representatives to display devotion, visibility and connection with constituents. The presence of a penance (dandi) by the councillor underscores an attempt to position herself as pious and committed. But the accompanying entourage adds another layer of signalling — one of VIP-status or elevated safety. - Use of civic infrastructure vs personal favour
Public riverfronts and ghats are common spaces. If a councillor uses personal security, it raises the question: is it for genuine safety or symbolic status? And if the committees arrange it, does that privilege others or set inconsistent precedents? - Security and crowd-management
Large gatherings pose genuine risks — especially on riverbanks where terrain, water flow, footing and crowd movement all matter. It is entirely plausible that additional safety was warranted. Yet, the presence of large security men carrying out what looked like VIP-protection rather than general crowd safety has triggered scrutiny. - Optics and public trust
Representation is as much about perception as action. The mayor’s comment about maturity captures that the value of a public figure lies not just in what they do — but how they appear doing it amidst communal gatherings.
Wider Implications for Festive Governance
Festivals in India, especially large-scale river rituals like Chhath, involve a blend of religious fervour, civic duty, crowd logistics, local committees and often political presence. The Siliguri incident highlights structural and governance issues:
- Committee accountability: Local organising committees manage rituals, crowd control and safety. Their decisions (such as hiring private security) need transparency and uniform standards to avoid perceptions of favouritism.
- Equity across participants: If one public official receives enhanced security, what about other officials or ordinary devotees? Consistency and fairness matter.
- Public figure behaviour: There is a fine line between being present and being elevated. Leaders must balance visibility with humility — especially in religious or communal spaces.
- Logistics vs optics: Genuine safety concerns (floating footpath, steep bank, water currents, mass gathering) may justify extra security. But the optics of “bouncers” escorting a councillor through a public ritual area can overshadow the functional justification.
- Social media and accountability: The incident was spotted and shared on platforms, raising the speed and intensity of public scrutiny. In less than a minute, a video turns into debate. Such visibility increases the stakes for public figures during sensitive communal gatherings.
The Local Political Landscape: Siliguri & Ward-5
The Siliguri Municipal Corporation covers an urban area that is politically contested and socially diverse. Ward 5, represented by Anita Mahato from BJP, is located in the Ganganagar area and includes the river-front ghat where this year’s Chhath ritual took place. Whether the councillor’s actions were predominantly devotional or politically strategic is a question many local observers are asking.
The BJP in West Bengal has been intensifying its presence in urban civic bodies, and the participation of councillors in visible rituals is part of broader outreach. But in doing so, the balance between religious authenticity and political staging is delicate. Opponents may argue that such displays amount to spectacle, while supporters may say it shows a leader immersed among the people.
For municipal governance, it raises internal questions: How do civic offices regulate security, special access, and public representation? What are the expectations of councillors at public festivals? How do committees and administrations coordinate responsibilities and privileges?
Given that thousands attended the ghat this year — with multiple visits by Mayor Gautam Deb and his deputy Ranjan Sarkar for oversight and cleanup — the environment was already charged with crowd, ritual and civic logistics. In that context, the councillor’s entourage may have been seen as either protective or conspicuous.
Assessing the Arguments
In favour of the councillor’s position:
- She maintained she had observed the full fast and performed her ritual of dandi, which is significant in Chhath observance.
- She claimed no direct role in hiring the security, attributing it to the organising committee.
- In a dense crowd and potentially unsafe riverbank setting, some level of escort might be justified for personal safety.
Criticisms and caveats:
- The uniform presence of “bouncers” suggests more than crowd-management; it implies VIP-modality.
- No other representative reportedly had such a detail, raising questions of unequal privilege.
- When a public figure receives visible extra attention in a communal ritual setting, it may undermine the sense of equal participation among the populace.
- The optics of special security at a communal religious event may blur lines between personal status and public service.
What Next: Oversight, Transparency and Civic Expectations
What this incident highlights is the need for clearer norms and transparency in how public representatives engage with communal events, especially where large crowds and public spaces are involved. Some areas to watch:
- Delegation clarity: The local organising committee’s role in hiring security should be documented and publicized. Who pays for it? What is the mandate?
- Uniform policy: If VIP-style security is deemed necessary, there should be standard criteria — applicable consistently, not on an ad-hoc basis.
- Post-event review: After the festival, civic authorities may review security arrangements, crowd-safety issues and any special access given. Was the detail provided due to actual risk, or preferential treatment?
- Public-communication: Councillors and civic officials should explain their decisions — especially when they stand out visually. Transparent explanation aids trust.
- Role modelling: Public representatives attending festivals should aim to be among the crowd, not above it, to preserve the sense of community participation.
Reflection: Symbolism, Service and Spectacle
Beyond the immediate event, the Siliguri incident begs a deeper reflection on how civic ritual, public office and personal branding intersect. Festivals like Chhath are microcosms of community, faith, labour (setting up ghats, managing crowds, distributing prasad), and local governance (clean-up, safety, traffic control).
When a councillor enters that space with a visible entourage, the perception shifts. The factor of observation becomes layered: Is this a leader among people, or people among a leader’s entourage? The difference may be subtle but symbolically significant.
Moreover, the act of penance — lying prostrate, rising, moving forward under one’s own effort — traditionally signifies humility, purification and service. When accompanied by private guards, the juxtaposition invites commentary on humility vs. status, devotion vs. display.
It is these symbolic registers that civic observers, journalists and social-media consumers register. The ritual becomes a performance not just to the deity but to the electorate and to the camera lens.
Conclusion
The riverbank of the Mahananda this Chhath Puja witnessed more than devotional lights reflecting on water. It witnessed the confluence of faith, politics and public perception. Councillor Anita Mahato’s dandi, her fast, her escorted entry — all were part devotion, part spectacle, part civic drama.
In Siliguri’s municipal civic space, where festivals are not just personal rituals but public events, how representatives behave matters. Not just in what they do, but how they appear doing them. The presence of private security at a communal ghat may seem marginal, but in the age of instant video and viral commentary, it becomes emblematic.
For citizens, the takeaway is simple: representation is not just about being present — it’s about being among. For public officials: participation in communal ritual must carry the same humility that is the core of the ritual itself. And for civic institutions: clear norms, transparent funding and equal access are key to preserving faith in public space.
As the echoes of arghya fade away this year, what remains is a conversation about service, optics and equality in the communal ritual space. Whether this leads to policy on festival-security norms, or simply fades into local memory, depends on how seriously civic leadership takes the question of “who leads and who follows” in public ritual. And just as the sun rises and sets each year for Chhath, so too will the spotlight return — bringing again questions of representation, ritual and restraint.
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