Kalighat temple vault key ‘missing’: A family seeks FIR, demands answers

A prominent family in West Bengal has raised questions over the alleged disappearance of the key to a vault containing valuables of Kolkata’s Kalighat Kali Temple, months after writing to a South 24 Parganas district judge, the ex-officio chairman of the temple committee, seeking the registration of an FIR.

The Sabarna Roychowdhury family, erstwhile zamindars who donated land to the temple, have also raised concerns over alleged issues related to temple property, the management of donations and jewellery, and the constitution of the temple management committee.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Debarshi Roychowdhury, a member of the family, alleged that the key to a State Bank of India locker belonging to the temple has been missing since 1980. “What happened to the temple’s valuables, jewellery, or other assets if they were kept in the locker?

The family has also sought an explanation regarding whether any investigation was conducted into the missing key,” he said. Debarshi said a letter raising these concerns was submitted to the Alipore district judge on March 16.

He said the family approached the judge in his capacity as ex-officio chairman of the temple’s managing committee. While Kalighat Kali Temple committee president Ashok Kumar Bandyopadhyay said he was busy and did not wish to comment on the matter, treasurer Kalyan Halder said, “Since a complaint has been made, I do not wish to comment on this, but this family has a habit of suddenly bringing up these issues.” The Kalighat Kali Temple is one of Kolkata’s oldest religious sites, believed to be more than 200 years old, and is regarded as one of 51 Shakti Peethas, pilgrimage sites where the body parts of Goddess Sati are believed to have fallen on Earth.

According to government and historical sources, the present temple structure was completed in 1809 under the patronage of the Sabarna Roychowdhury family. Santosh Roy Chowdhury, a Kali devotee, started the construction in 1798.

The family also claims that the idol currently worshipped at Kalighat is modelled after their family deity, Goddess Bhuvaneshwari. “Our family had donated 595 bighas of land to the Kali temple, but presently only 19 cottahs are in existence.

Where did the remaining land go? How was the property transferred or altered?” Debarshi asked. He also questioned the accounting of daily donations and jewellery received. “Every day, devotees donate money and jewellery at the temple.

There must be clarity on where the complete records of these donations are maintained, how much is collected, how the accounts are preserved, and whether regular audits are conducted,” he said. Debarshi alleged that these accounts were not available with either the government or the court.

“How much jewellery and how much money is being donated every day? Where are the accounts? Where are the audits? These accounts are not with the government, nor are they with the Supreme Court. People are donating to the goddess, not to any individual.

So why should there be no record of the money?” he added. Questions have also been raised over the functioning of the temple committee. According to the family, the last election to the temple committee was held in 2014.

“If there has been no election, how is the temple functioning without a committee? Those who are claiming to be in the committee, how are they there without an election?” Debarshi asked. He further alleged that visitors were being excessively charged at the temple.

He claimed that several people from different parts of the country who had visited the Kalighat temple had contacted the family with complaints of financial harassment. According to him, some devotees were allegedly asked to pay Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000, others Rs 6,000, and in some cases as much as Rs 10,000.

The family had also proposed that the history of Kalighat Temple be clearly displayed within the temple premises in Bengali, Hindi and English. However, this suggestion has allegedly been ignored. Tanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata.

Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage. Experience Current Role: Reports for the prestigious national daily, The Indian Express, providing her content with a high level of Trustworthiness.

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