Kolkata: Only those who believe in ‘sanatan dharma’ will be allowed to touch Durga idols during immersion, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday while inspecting security arrangements at Baje Kadamtala Ghat. Dismissing suggestions that the directive had a communal intent, Adhikari said the measure was aimed at upholding the sanctity of immersion rituals.Adhikari said Kolkata Police commissioner Ajay Nand has been instructed to maintain a record of those involved in immersion. “Only those who believe in Sanatan Dharma should touch the idols. I have told the CP to record the names of those who come here. They must also be identified,” the CM said. “To preserve sanctity, we must follow traditions, scriptures and norms followed for thousands of years,” he added.The CM’s remarks drew strong reactions, with opposition netas accusing him of promoting religious exclusion and violating constitutional principles.“Does he (Adhikari) have a list of who is a ‘sanatani’ and who is not? Can he explain how someone becomes a ‘sanatani’? He has no answers,” former CPM MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said. He also alleged that the CM was acting in accordance with the RSS agenda.Bengal Congress senior Suman Roy Chaudhuri condemned Adhikari’s remarks, arguing that they ran contrary to India’s constitutional commitment to pluralism.Trinamool’s Baiswanor Chatterjee criticised the CM, saying, “One cannot understand Hinduism with such a narrow mindset.”Earlier, citing traditions, Adhikari had said trolleys, and not cranes, would be used in immersions and DJ music would be banned. On Wednesday, cranes were out and rail-mounted trolleys took their place at immersions in Hooghly. Special mechanical ramps, trolleys and conveyor systems have been installed at major immersion ghats like Baje Kadamtala, Nimtala and Gwalior ghat.Blaring loudspeakers, unlike in previous years, were absent. In some pockets, however, fireworks shattered the relative quiet.Environment activist Naba Dutta of Sabuj Mancha said, “We have been protesting the use of DJ music, but for the first time, our wishes have been fulfilled.”Sources at KMC confirmed that around 2,800 idols were immersed on Wednesday. While Doighat recorded immersion of around 700 idols, Baje Kadamtala recorded 560 immersions. Nimtala and Judges Ghat saw a surge in immersions. A majority of puja organisers stayed away from immersions.On Thursday afternoon, however, a TOI team saw heaps of idol structures at Baje Kadamtala Ghat. Holding low tide responsible for this, a KMC official said, “We are waiting for high tide to clear the accumulated structures.”