Kokata: Political turmoil erupted over the Baruni Mela of Matuas to be held on April 6. The religious fair is held every year at Thakurnagar Thakurbari of Gaighata in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. This fair has already invited political tussle among the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress in the state.
Union State Minister and Bangaon Lok Sabha MP Shantanu Thakur alleged that TMC leader Mamata Thakur has requested to issue Section 144 to stop the religious fair of Matuas.
"Not only this, the state electricity department is conspiring to ensure that there is no electricity connection in the fair and informed us that they would not be able to provide electricity," he added.
Shantanu further stated that no matter how much Section 144 is promulgated, there will be a fair and huge gathering of devotees will take part. Meanwhile, Mamata Bala Thakur, former MP from Trinamool Congress, said, "Section 144 will be issued to prevent criminal activities at the fair.
This will not cause any difficulty to the devotees who come to Matua Mela." Notably, a significant occasion, the Matua Maha Mela highlights the vibrant culture of the Matua community.
The Matua Community, a subset of lower-class Avarna Hindus, who belong to the Namasudra Scheduled Caste group and are also referred to as "Chandalas," celebrates this holiday. The Matua Dharma Maha Mela is an opportunity to celebrate the Matua traditions and way of life, which were established by Shree Shree Harichand Thakur and further developed by Guruchand Thakur and Boro Ma.
