Calcutta: The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the West Bengal government to take all necessary steps to prevent any communal tension in Murshidabad’s Beldanga, where suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir plans to lay the foundation stone of a mosque named “Babri Masjid.” The event is set for Saturday, coinciding with December 6, the anniversary of the 1992 Babri demolition in Ayodhya.
“The state must act according to its declared stance. Law and order in Murshidabad must be strictly maintained, and the lives and properties of citizens safeguarded,” a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen observed while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed against the proposed ceremony, as quoted by TOI.
Kabir’s plan comes just eight months after Murshidabad witnessed communal clashes triggered by protests against the Wakf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The sensitivity of the timing and location has prompted the state to remain on high alert. Advocate-General Kishore Datta informed the court that the government had deployed sufficient security to maintain peace, while Deputy Solicitor-General Rajdeep Majumdar said 19 companies of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) had already been stationed in the area.
A massive 3,500-member security contingent, including Rapid Action Force (RAF) units, spread across Rejinagar and nearby areas on Friday evening. Two companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) were also kept on standby to ensure the safety of people and the smooth flow of traffic on National Highway 12.
TMC’s disciplinary committee suspended Kabir from the party a day before the event.
Despite the growing tensions, Kabir appeared defiant and personally supervised the arrangements for Saturday’s ceremony, reportedly instructing his team to prepare 30,000 packets of biryani for attendees. He also met representatives from splinter groups of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and the All Bengal Imam Muezzin Association to seek their support.
“The main programme will begin at noon with the recitation of the Quran for about two hours,” Kabir told reporters. “There will be no political speeches, no party flags, no campaigns, and no provocation. I will be present with around 2,000 volunteers. Everyone knows this is not something new,” TOI quoted Kabir as saying.
Meanwhile, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged that the entire episode was part of a “deliberate conspiracy” orchestrated by the opposition to malign the ruling party ahead of the upcoming state elections
Bureau Report
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