In the eastern West Bengal state, which is home to former India captain Sourav Ganguly, Chappell is widely held responsible for the cricketer's continued exclusion from the team after a row between the two.

The festival -- held in the honour of goddess Durga -- marks the victory of good over evil depicted through large clay idols of the Hindu deity and a demon king, which is often modelled after well-known public figures.

'Demons' in previous years have included al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

Police acted after learning that the former Australian captain who in June completed the first year as Indian coach was some sculptors' choice for demon king.

"We should not forget that Chappell is the coach of our national cricket team. He deserves respect," city police deputy commissioner Pradip Chatterjee told AFP.

"In no way we can support the cricket legend being portrayed as the devil," Chatterjee said.

After the police instruction, a sculptor said he would tone down his depiction of Chappell.