CR Park Durga Puja row: what Delhi's loudspeaker rules actually allow
Representative image: Dale86 / Pixabay
Delhi Police and AAP traded claims over CR Park Durga Puja pandal hours in October 2026; police say they enforced noise rules that bar loudspeakers after 10 pm.
What Happened
A dispute over how late Durga Puja pandals may play music has broken out in Chittaranjan Park (CR Park), the south Delhi neighbourhood known for the capital's largest Bengali puja celebrations. Organisers of the B Block puja say Delhi Police switched off their speakers and lights in the middle of a stage performance on the night of Saturday, October 17, 2026. The Aam Aadmi Party's Delhi president, Saurabh Bharadwaj, alleged police harassment, while the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), Anant Mittal, said the police were only enforcing noise pollution norms that organisers had agreed to follow.
Key Facts
- The incident took place at the B Block pandal of the CR Park Durga Puja Committee on Saturday night, October 17, 2026, according to the committee.
- Committee vice-president Raju Shome said the police did not ask the organisers anything or issue any notice before acting.
- Committee members said they usually receive a notice every year asking them to stop loud music by midnight, but did not receive one this year.
- Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that pandals and loudspeakers were allowed only until 10 pm this year, against midnight last year, and that police disconnected a pandal's power supply and damaged equipment. These allegations have not been independently verified.
- DCP (South) Anant Mittal said in a post on X that the claims of police interference were wrong and that organisers at some venues kept playing loud music past permitted hours despite agreeing to the rules at earlier meetings.
- Separately, traffic restrictions for Durga Puja applied in CR Park and Greater Kailash-II from 4 pm to midnight each day from October 16 to October 20.
Why It Matters
The row is about a rule that affects every festival in every state: when loudspeakers must go quiet. The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, set the national baseline. Under Rule 5, loudspeakers and public address systems may not be used at night, between 10 pm and 6 am. The same rule lets a state government allow their use until midnight on cultural or religious festive occasions, for a limited number of days, at most 15 days in a calendar year.
That exemption is the heart of the CR Park dispute. If a midnight exemption was granted for the puja days, music until 12 would be lawful. If it was not, the general 10 pm limit applies. The committee's point is that it was not told which applied this year; the police's point is that organisers agreed to the timings in meetings before the festival. The reports so far do not include the text of any order setting the 2026 timings, so that question remains open.
CR Park has hosted community Durga Pujas for decades, and its pandals draw large crowds from across the National Capital Region in the evenings. Bharadwaj argued that shorter hours could push the same number of visitors into fewer hours and raise the risk of overcrowding, a concern given added weight by the deadly stampede at a Kolkata pandal earlier this month. The police have not responded to that specific argument in the statements reported.
Impact
Short-term: With Bengali Vijaya Dashami marked on October 21, the pujas are in their final day, so the dispute is unlikely to change this year's timings. It may, however, shape how the remaining immersion processions are policed.
Long-term: Clear, written timings issued well before the festival, and shared with every puja committee, would avoid a repeat. Committees may press the Delhi government to notify festival-day exemptions under the noise rules in advance, as several states already do for major festivals.
Who is affected: Puja committees and performers in CR Park and other Delhi pandals, residents who want quiet nights, visitors planning evening trips, and the Delhi Police, who must enforce the rules without appearing to target any community's festival.
Key Takeaway
The CR Park row turns on one question the reports have not yet answered: whether a midnight exemption under the Noise Pollution Rules, 2000 was granted for this year's Durga Puja, or whether the general 10 pm limit applied.
Questions and Answers
What happened at the CR Park Durga Puja in Delhi?
The B Block puja committee says Delhi Police switched off its speakers and lights during a stage performance on Saturday night, October 17, 2026, without notice. The police say they were enforcing noise rules the organisers had agreed to follow.
Until what time can loudspeakers be used during festivals in India?
Under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, loudspeakers may not be used between 10 pm and 6 am. A state government can allow use until midnight on festive occasions for up to 15 days a year.
What has AAP alleged?
AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that pandals were limited to 10 pm instead of midnight, that police cut a pandal's electricity and damaged equipment, and that shorter hours could cause overcrowding. These claims have not been independently verified.
What did Delhi Police say?
DCP (South) Anant Mittal said the claims were wrong and that some organisers kept playing loud music beyond the permitted hours after agreeing to the rules at earlier meetings.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
