Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta on Thursday (7 October) revised guidelines for the Durga Puja celebrations in Bengaluru after BJP MP Tejasvi Surya made a strong objection to the existing restrictions.

It has been decided to remove the restrictions on installing Durga Idols of only 4 feet. The BBMP has also relaxed rules on allowing use of musical instruments like drums during prayer rituals.

BJP's young MP Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday (6 October) had dubbed the restrictions imposed by BBMP on Durga Puja in the wake of Covid-19 as discriminatory, arbitrary and illogical.

During the Pushpanjali and Sandhi puja time, one has to follow all Covid-19 Appropriate Behaviour and allow only 50 people in batches. There is no restriction on the total number of batches now, BBMP clarified.

If required, to have more than one idol installation in the ward, the organisers have to seek permission from the Joint Commissioner, BBMP and Police for the same.

Surya had charged, "It is highly regrettable that the administration imposes such harsh, arbitrary rules only during celebrations of Hindu community and turns a blind eye towards celebrations of other faiths. This discriminatory imposition of restrictions is condemnable and patently unconstitutional."

Surya said, the restrictions imposed through the order regarding the size of the idol appears to be taken without any logical relevance. It is beyond the understanding of any reasonable person as to how the size of the idol is related to the spread of the coronavirus. There is no basis for this decision of allowing idols that are only 4 feet high or less. This is prima facie arbitrary and devoid of any merit.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)