CM apologizes for West Bengal government advertisement showing Durga with 11 arms instead of 10

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari apologized to the people of the state after the government published an advertisement in newspapers on Monday (September 7, 2026) depicting Goddess Durga with 11 arms instead of 10. As Opposition leaders slammed the “distortion” of the deity, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya sought to downplay the issue, noting that the extra arm only makes Durga “stronger.”

“As the Prime Minister of West Bengal, I apologize for the mistake. Those responsible have been given a stern warning. The government will be careful in future,” Mr Adhikari said at a Durga Puja coordination meeting on Monday (September 7) evening.

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The advertisement, published in several newspapers in West Bengal, sparked a heated debate on social media and in political circles.

“This only makes Maa Durga stronger,” Mr. Bhattacharya said. He also added that the error was a blunder by the advertising agency and stated that the error will be corrected and should not be politicized.

Insult

The Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) criticized the state government. The official Trinamool social media page said that the constant mistreatment of Maa Durga and Bengali culture is an insult. “The government, which claims to speak for Bengal, appears to be increasingly out of touch with Bengali culture, traditions and festivals that define Bengal’s identity,” the party added.

“The image of Maa Durga bears a name”Dashabhuja’ because Maa Durga has ten arms, but in the advertisement it became eleven arms. How did this happen? They talk about Sanatan culture; they say distortion is unacceptable, but they themselves distorted it by showing eleven hands,” said Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh.

Meanwhile, netizens criticized the ad on social media and called it “disrespectful” to Bengali traditions and culture.

Trinamool MLA Madan Mitra also criticized the ad and said that as a Bengali, he cannot accept the distortion.

CPI(M) leader Shatarup Ghosh also posted a photo of the advertisement on his social media and said it was a “brilliant” advertisement by the state government. “The gods armed her with ten arms so that she could kill A.surah (demon). The BJP government, however, extended an extra hand to the Goddess – specifically to give a loud slap in the face to anyone who could issue an order forcing Bengalis to eat vegetarian food during Puja and throw them straight out of their homes.andal and from Bengal,” wrote Mr. Shatarup Ghosh.