Kolkata Police has designed saffron-coloured uniforms for 20,000 volunteers who will be deployed across the city during the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations in the third week of October 2026. The decision, confirmed by a Lalbazar official on Tuesday, 15 September, marks a departure from the half-sleeved T-shirts that volunteers have traditionally worn on puja duty.

Uniform Design and Budget

According to a Lalbazar official, two variants of full-sleeved, collared clothes are being produced — 12,000 in dark saffron and 8,000 in light saffron. The front of each garment will carry the Kolkata Police logo in white, with 'Kolkata Police Volunteer' printed in small letters on the front and in large letters on the back. Volunteers will also receive orange caps as part of the ensemble.

The total expenditure for the uniforms has been pegged at ₹89 lakh — with ₹73 lakh earmarked for the 20,000 clothes and ₹16 lakh for the caps. Officials stated that the new full-sleeved design was chosen specifically to allow volunteers to perform their duties comfortably over extended periods.

Who Are These Volunteers

Every year before Durga Puja, Kolkata Police recruits volunteers from a diverse pool that includes school and college students, National Cadet Corps (NCC) members, and club members from various neighbourhoods across the city. These volunteers work alongside regular police personnel, Home Guard members, and civic volunteers, with duties running continuously through to Vijayadashami.

After Mahalaya, the volunteers undergo training in their respective divisions before being deployed. Their roles are critical — managing crowd flow at major puja pandals, maintaining traffic movement, and ensuring the safety and security of the millions of visitors who pour into the city each year.

Scale of Deployment

During Durga Puja, Kolkata Police depends heavily on volunteers to supplement its regular force. A section of the volunteers in the new saffron uniforms will be stationed on roads to regulate traffic, while others will be deployed at every major pavilion that draws large crowds annually. The new uniform is intended to make volunteers more easily identifiable amid the dense festival throngs.

Context and Significance

The choice of saffron — a colour with deep religious associations in Hinduism — for police volunteers during one of Bengal's most significant Hindu festivals is a detail that will not go unnoticed in the state's politically charged environment. West Bengal has seen recurring political friction over the symbolism of colour and public space during religious events. Officials, however, have framed the decision purely in operational terms, citing comfort and visibility as the driving factors. Notably, the uniform switch also represents a shift from a more generic volunteer appearance to a standardised, branded identity under the Kolkata Police banner.

With the preparations already a month ahead of the festival, the police administration appears focused on ensuring a smoother and more structured volunteer deployment than in previous years.