Mumbai police ban photography, circulation of images of half-submerged Durga idols

Mumbai: The Mumbai police have issued a prohibitory order banning the shooting and circulation of photographs or videos of floating or half-submerged Durga idols during immersion from October 20 to 22, an official has said.

The order was issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Akbar Pathan under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, to prevent hurting religious sentiments and maintain public peace, he said on Thursday.

Idols of Goddess Durga would be immersed in various water bodies in the city between October 20 and October 22. During this period, some half-dissolved idols tend to drift ashore during high tides or float on lake waters before being retrieved by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) workers for re-immersion, the order said.


"Circulating photographs or videos of such un-immersed or half-dissolved idols or BMC workers retrieving them can outrage religious feelings and lead to a breach of public peace and tranquillity. Therefore, immediate preventive measures were deemed necessary," the police official said.