Kolkata, Sept. 22 -- The scent of incense mingles with fresh paint as artisans put finishing touches on a most unusual Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata.

Inside, behind makeshift iron bars, fibreglass figures crouch in a replica prison cell. Above them, Bengali letters hang trapped in bird cages-a pointed metaphor for what organisers call attacks on their language and identity.

Across the city in central Kolkata, another set of artisans assemble battle tanks and fighter jets for a starkly different political statement.

The military hardware, part of a theme called "Operation Sindoor," represents the other side of what will be captured in Durga puja pandals this year.

As Bengal's biggest festival begins on Monday, puja committees acro...