Festive season turns grim as Bengali workers like dhakis and priests endure mistreatment.

Alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, and Rajasthan has dampened the festive spirit.

The festive period, once filled with opportunity and celebration for Bengal’s drummers and priests, now carries a sense of unease.

Even as the dhak’s festive beat returns to Bengal’s villages, priests and drummers — vital to Durga Puja celebrations — say their work-related travels to BJP-ruled states are increasingly burdened by fears of being targeted for their language and identity.

A difficult choice confronts hundreds of dhakis and purohits: endure harassment to work or stay home and face economic hardship.

This year, dhakis in rural Bengal beat their drums, but instead of excitement, they stir unease.

Bapi Das, director of a dhaki troupe, says, “Reports of attacks on Bengali migrant laborers in other states scare us and our families. Several Puja committees from outside Bengal invited us and paid us in advance, so we’ve decided to go, even though we’re anxious. Still, some of my teammates can’t decide whether to travel or stay back.”

Organisers in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Guwahati have invited Das’ troupe of nearly 100 skilled drummers.

Each performer earns Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 from week-long Durga Puja engagements — income that plays a crucial role for families relying on seasonal work.

“Performing in other states allows us to buy clothes, pay for our children’s books, and even clear our debts,” says a veteran female dhaki from a troupe based in Ashoknagar, North 24 Parganas. In the off-season, she supports her family by rolling bidis.

She wonders, “Will someone harass me just for speaking Bengali?” Her colleague, Mitali Barui, shares the same fear. “We used to rehearse with enthusiasm, but now tension fills our rehearsals. Our troupe leaders have told us to carry all IDs—ours, our parents’, and even property papers or panchayat certificates—when we perform in other states.”

Ghatal in West Midnapore, a historic town famous for its Brahmin families who send priests across India during Durga Puja, now feels a similar sense of unease.

“In the past, we only carried our sacred texts and ritual lists. But this year, we’ve instructed all priests traveling outside Bengal to bring Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and even property documents,” says Ashok Mishra, a priest with 12 years of experience performing Durga Puja across the country.

Arun Bhattacharya of North 24 Parganas, who has performed Durga Puja ceremonies in Mumbai for over 15 years, says, “We are devoted religious workers, yet being treated like suspects while carrying only sacred texts is humiliating. Still, I must earn this year’s income as my family depends on it.” This growing feeling of exclusion among Bengali cultural representatives has ignited political anger in Bengal.

Trinamool Congress leaders blame the BJP for promoting hostility toward linguistic and regional minority communities.

A senior TMC leader stated, “It is intolerable that those offering cultural and religious services feel unsafe and unwelcome. These actions are deeply troubling and go against the constitution.”

According to opposition parties, the harassment forms part of a wider effort to replace diverse regional identities with a single, majoritarian cultural narrative.

BJP leaders maintain that the heightened ID verifications are standard law-and-order procedures, not acts of targeted harassment.

A state BJP leader stated, “Security screenings are a normal aspect of crowd management, and there is no directive to specifically target Bengalis or any language group.”

Ground-level reports contradict these reassurances.

Cultural workers, many of whom also migrate to different states for work, share experiences of being mocked, detained, or singled out for speaking Bengali.

The conch shells and drums ringing through Bengal’s villages bring more than festive cheer; they carry an unvoiced plea for security, dignity, and the right to keep traditions alive without fear.