Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 06:30pm on 08 Sep 2026,Tuesday India
A police complaint has been lodged in Kolkata against Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Shastri over remarks urging Hindus to avoid non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja. South Kolkata Congress president Pradip Prasad accused Shastri of hurting Bengali sentiments and creating social disharmony. Shastri had called Bengalis eating fish and meat during Navratri “pakhandis” and urged people to boycott them. The remarks sparked criticism across Bengal. Bengal BJP leaders distanced themselves from the food diktat. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said Shastri had no right to decide what Bengalis eat, while minister Dilip Ghosh said people should be free to choose their food. (PC: The Telegraph)
