Overview

• In Ranchi, RR Sporting Club said it removed crosses and replaced Christian images after backlash to its Vatican‑style pandal, calling the design a message of brotherhood and noting a cost of over ₹70 lakh.
• VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal alleged the Ranchi concept was intended to induce conversions and demanded an investigation into its funding and conception.
• Kolkata’s celebrations showcased overt political tableaux and high‑profile appearances, with Amit Shah inaugurating key pujas, while at Santosh Mitra Square a BJP organiser accused police of blocking visitors—a claim the city’s police commissioner rejected.
• In Berhampore, a committee displayed a clay figure likened to Donald Trump as Mahishasura, which organisers described as a symbolic protest against US tariff actions, though the clay modeller called the resemblance coincidental.
• In Mumbai, cousins Kajol and Rani Mukerji unveiled the North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja idol and grew emotional remembering veteran actor Deb Mukherjee, as longstanding community pujas across the city got underway.