A rift, brewing within the Jamshedpur Durga Puja Kendra Samity for a week, came out in the open on Wednesday, with the suspension of the general secretary and two factions claiming authority over the apex body that monitors and coordinates 320 pujas in the steel city.

The decision to suspend general secretary Rambabu Singh, for six years no less because of alleged high-handedness, was taken by the outfit’s president, Chandra Nath Banerjee, after a nod from the executive committee late Wednesday evening.

“The decision to suspend Singh was taken by the executive committee. Singh had made the outfit his pocket organisation. He was also functioning without taking me into confidence,” said Banerjee.

Banerjee claimed Singh went ahead and issued Covid guidelines for pujas and filled vacant posts in the samity without consulting him. “I was nominated working president in 2018 president. I was kept in dark over decisions taken by the general secretary,” he said.

Banerjee said a showcause notice was issued to Singh but he did not reply, after which there was no option but to suspend him.

Singh could not be contacted despite several attempts. But the samity executive president Ashutosh Singh denied that that the executive committee had decided to suspend Rambabu Singh.

“We don’t believe in issuing statements but the process to suspend the general secretary is against the by-laws of the samity. The executive committee has not adopted any resolution to suspend the general secretary,” he claimed.

Senior functionaries of the outfit also said Rambu Singh’s suspension had to be ratified by the 11-member executive committee. They said they were with Rambabu Singh and would remain with him in future.

The factionalism has left puja organisers in a quandary. They are confused about whose directives to follow.

Banerjee said the onus was on the puja organisers. “The puja organisers have to decide. Sentiments are attached to pujas and we believe that the festival should be celebrated in a hassle-free manner by following the guidelines issued by the state government. The samity is functioning with this objective,” he added.

A member of the Telco puja organising committee said Covid restrictions had already dampened the Puja spirit this year, and that the infighting could not have happened at a worse time.

“There is already little joy left in the Pujas because of Covid. The infighting in the samity has left us confused. We are yet to decide whom to support,” he said.