Kolkata Kali temple: TMC workers allege extortion, protest against management

Trinamool Congress activists on Wednesday got into a scuffle with the members of the management of a Kali temple in Kolkata over charges that the temple devotees were being forced to cough up money.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh and councillor Ayan Chakraborty along with some 50 party workers protested at the Shyam Sundari Kali temple on Harinath Dey Road in North Kolkata, said reports.

Also read: West Bengal | How Mamata Banerjee’s blend of saffron politics has outfoxed BJP

Extortion in the name of the goddess

Ghosh alleged that the management of the Shyam Sundari Kali temple, which was built four years ago, was extorting money and jewellery from devotees.

According to Kunal Ghosh, who has posted a video on his X page, the people running the temple have not formed a valid or legal trust to run the temple. They are using the goddess to extract money and even gold jewellery at times from the devotees, he added.

Further, he said in the video that the temple authorities are taking money from people ranging from ₹501 to ₹28,000.

Fradulent activities are going on in the name of the goddess, pointed out Ghosh, adding that they are also Hindus who worship and revere Kali but what the temple authorities were doing in the name of the goddess is wrong.