Kolkata Police invites ₹89L e-tender for orange Durga Puja volunteers
Kolkata Police invited an e-tender for the procurement, with an estimated cost of ₹89 lakh, for orange-coloured, full-sleeve T-shirts and peak caps for around 20,000 Durga Puja volunteers, hoping to make them easy to spot during the festival crowds.
While NCC cadets, scouts and students come in their uniforms, these volunteers will be issued full-sleeve T-shirts and caps.
Trinamool and Congress decry saffronisation
The move has drawn heat from Trinamool Congress and Indian National Congress leaders, who say switching to orange amounts to saffronising the police force and blurs lines between politics and religion.
On the other hand, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders say saffron stands for courage.
Kolkata Police explained they picked orange simply because this will make the volunteers conspicuous and easily identifiable in the crowd.