A fresh political storm has erupted in West Bengal over the alleged removal of a blue structure bearing the words “Jagannath Dham” from near the newly inaugurated Jagannath temple in Digha.
The controversy gained momentum after Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari posted a picture on his official X handle on Monday, claiming the structure had been dismantled in an attempt to quell criticism over equating Digha’s temple with the historic Jagannath shrine in Puri.
Adhikari’s post sparked a whirlwind of reactions online, with a viral image suggesting the apparent removal of the signboard — believed to be a response to growing dissent over the term “Dham” being used for both the Digha and Puri temples. Critics alleged that the nomenclature was part of a calculated move to create a religious and cultural parity between the two shrines.
However, the East Midnapore district police swiftly countered the narrative. Taking to X, the district police denied any such removal and dismissed the viral photo as "fake news." They asserted that “no incident of structural removal has occurred,” and announced that legal action had been initiated against those spreading misinformation.
In an official statement, the police confirmed that a case has been registered at Digha Police Station based on “specific allegations” regarding the circulation of false information. “An investigation is currently underway,” the statement read, warning against attempts to inflame communal or political tensions through the distortion of facts.
Trinamool Congress MLA Akhil Giri also rebuffed the opposition’s allegations. “The structure being referred to was temporarily erected during the inauguration ceremony of the temple. There’s no room for controversy here,” he stated.
Echoing Giri’s claim, ISKCON Kolkata Vice President and Digha temple overseer Radharam Das clarified, “The decorative structure was removed a day after the event. The word ‘Dham’ remains inscribed across the temple premises, including on the main sanctum. Why create a storm over this?”
The controversy intensified when Rajesh Dayitapati, a senior functionary of the Puri Jagannath temple and a key figure in Digha’s temple inauguration, initially claimed that the Digha idol was carved from leftover sacred neem wood used during the Navakalevara ritual of Puri in 2015 — a claim that triggered backlash across Odisha.
Interestingly, upon returning to Odisha, Dayitapati retracted his earlier statement, clarifying that the idol had actually been made from a different neem tree and not from the sacred daru used in the Puri temple.
Amid mounting political uproar, chief minister Mamata Banerjee addressed the issue publicly on Monday, making her stance unequivocal. “There is no need to steal sacred wood to build a temple for Lord Jagannath,” she asserted. Banerjee’s statement aimed to defuse the tension and silence insinuations regarding the sanctity and authenticity of the Digha temple project.
As allegations, counterclaims and symbolic politics intensify, the episode underscores how deeply intertwined faith and politics have become in the state. While the administration maintains that the Digha Jagannath temple is an independent spiritual initiative, the opposition continues to perceive it as a politicised move aimed at cultural mimicry.
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