📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / JDP90 (Joydeep)
Religion
Mumbai Police Halts Photo and Video Coverage of Durga Idol Immersion
✍️ Amar Ujala · Maharashtra
🗓 16 Oct 2026, 03:45 AM
👁 12
The Mumbai police have ordered a stop to the filming and photography of the Durga idol immersion ceremony, citing concerns over crowd management and public safety.
Mumbai police have issued directives to media personnel and the public to refrain from taking photographs or recording videos of the Durga idol immersion ceremony in the city. The order, announced ahead of the concluding rituals of the Navaratri festival, aims to prevent overcrowding and ensure orderly conduct at the immersion sites.
Authorities indicated that unrestricted filming could lead to congestion along the ghats and pose safety risks to devotees. Police officers have been deployed at key immersion points to enforce the directive and to manage the flow of participants.
The move has drawn mixed reactions, with some cultural observers warning that media coverage is integral to documenting the tradition, while officials maintain that public safety must take precedence during the large gatherings.
The police have not specified penalties for violations, but have warned that non‑compliance may result in legal action under existing crowd‑control regulations.
The directive will remain in effect until the immersion rituals are completed, after which normal media access is expected to resume.
Authorities indicated that unrestricted filming could lead to congestion along the ghats and pose safety risks to devotees. Police officers have been deployed at key immersion points to enforce the directive and to manage the flow of participants.
The move has drawn mixed reactions, with some cultural observers warning that media coverage is integral to documenting the tradition, while officials maintain that public safety must take precedence during the large gatherings.
The police have not specified penalties for violations, but have warned that non‑compliance may result in legal action under existing crowd‑control regulations.
The directive will remain in effect until the immersion rituals are completed, after which normal media access is expected to resume.