New Delhi: A 30-foot-tall cockroach effigy was burnt alongside those of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnath during the Dussehra celebrations organised by the Shri Keshav Ramlila Committee in northwest Delhi on Tuesday.
The organisers said burning the cockroach effigy aimed at highlighting problems associated with unhygienic surroundings and the spread of diseases, while encouraging people to take responsibility for keeping their homes and neighbourhoods clean.
The event was held at the DDA ground in Netaji Subhash Place in Pitampura, drawing a large crowd.
The giant cockroach effigy emerged as a major attraction.
BJP’s Model Town MLA and the committee president, Ashok Goel Devraha, said the cockroach effigy represented a social problem.
“The burning of the cockroach effigy this year was aimed at raising awareness about filth and the health problems associated with it,” he said, adding that cockroaches are associated with unhygienic conditions and can contribute to problems such as allergies and asthma.
Devraha clarified that the effigy was not intended as a comment on any individual, political party, institution or organisation, and urged people to view the initiative in the context of its social and public health message.
He said the committee had previously burnt symbolic effigies representing issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Naxalism and foreign goods.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Arun Singh, Delhi Cabinet minister Kapil Mishra and Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Delhi unit president Kapil Khanna attended the event as chief guests.
BJP MP Singh said Dussehra was an occasion to reaffirm the values of truth, duty and righteousness, while Mishra highlighted the importance of incorporating the lessons of festivals into everyday life.
Khanna said cultural events such as Ramlila and Dussehra helped strengthen social unity and preserve India’s traditions, according to the organisers.
This comes as AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj filed a complaint with Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar against the organisers over the cockroach effigy.
In a post on X, Bharadwaj accused the organisers of deliberately hurting religious sentiments, altering sacred Hindu traditions and attempting to incite enmity between communities.
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