The Hemant Soren government faced severe criticism for banning Chhath congregations at public water bodies with both ruling and Opposition party members accusing it of hurting religious sentiments on Monday, barely 12 hours after a midnight communique was issued to announce the guidelines.

The Opposition BJP launched protests on the streets in many parts of the state, including capital Ranchi. Members of the ruling JMM and Congress issued separate appeals and submitted memorandums to the chief minister, asking him to reconsider the guidelines, which were issued keeping the Covid-19 pandemic in mind.

Chhath Puja is scheduled to be held November 20 and 21.

BJP leaders, including Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth, Hatia MLA Naveen Jaiswal, mayor Asha Lakra, deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya, MLA C.P. Singh, Kanke MLA Samri Lal and Moonchun Rai, stand in the water of Button Talab to protest against the state government’s order banning Chhath rituals in public water bodies in Ranchi on Monday. Picture by Manob Chowdhary

Former chief minister Raghubar Das, who is also a patron of the Chhath Puja Samiti of Sidhgora in Jamshedpur, wrote to Hemant, appealing to him to allow devotees to perform morning and evening arghya at ponds amid strict Covid-19 safety norms on the lines of Bihar.

“In Bihar, the government has allowed Chhath festival and puja at ponds where congregations can be regulated. Jharkhand too should do it on similar lines to not hurt religious sentiments of Hindus. Chhath is a major festival in Jharkhand too,” Das wrote.

State BJP president Deepak Prakash accused the government of being anti-Hindu. “The strange order should be taken back in view of popular religious sentiments. Maintaining social distancing at Chhath ghats is possible with proper planning. BJP will continue to oppose it tooth and nail,” he said.

Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth, mayor Asha Lakra, along with district units of the party, held protests at Button Talab in Doranda in the afternoon.

Ruling JMM and Congress members also sought amendments of the Chhath guidelines. JMM general secretary Vinod Pandey wrote to Hemant demanding reconsideration of the diktat.

Women hold a demonstration to protest against the state government’s Chhath guidelines in Jharia, Dhanbad, on Monday. Picture by Shabbir Hussain

Ally Congress echoed similar sentiments. The party’s co-working president Rajesh Thakur said in a statement, “We urge the government to reconsider its decision. Covid-19 is not over yet, but religion and cultural practices are equally important. The babus (bureaucrats) have issued guidelines without applying their minds and keeping people’s religious sentiments in mind.”

Around midnight on Sunday, the government issued guidelines banning Chhath Puja at rivers/ponds and other public water bodies in view of the covid-19 pandemic. Chief secretary Sukhdev Singh in his order maintained that since it would not be possible to maintain the national order of “do gaz ki doori (two feet social distancing) while performing Chhath rituals, the state government was asking residents to stay indoors during the festival to minimise chances of a renewed spread of the coronavirus.