The Calcutta High Court issued a firm directive to the West Bengal state administration on Friday, instructing it to handle the law-and-order situation in Murshidabad district with a strong hand. The aim is to prevent any potential communal disturbance linked to a controversial foundation stone-laying ceremony for a mosque.
Court's Stern Directive to the State
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen made the order while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The bench emphasized that the state must act according to its stated stand and ensure strict maintenance of law and order. The judges explicitly stated that the lives and properties of citizens must be protected at all costs.
The PIL was filed by senior counsel Bikash Bhattacharya, who expressed apprehension about a possible communal conflagration in the Beldanga area of Murshidabad. The concern stemmed from plans for a foundation stone-laying ceremony on Saturday for a Babri Masjid, proposed by suspended Trinamool Congress MLA from Bharatpur, Humayun Kabir.
State's Assurance and Security Deployment
During the hearing, Advocate-General Kishore Datta informed the court that the state government had already taken pre-emptive measures. He submitted that adequate police personnel have been deployed to thwart any attempts to disturb peace and communal harmony. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
"The state and its agencies will leave no stone unturned to ensure that law-and-order is strictly maintained," Datta assured the bench. Adding to this, Deputy Solicitor-General Rajdeep Majumdar informed the court that 19 companies of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are already present in the sensitive area as part of the security arrangements.
The Controversial Figure and Past Unrest
The court's order also noted an undertaking that "even the private respondent will maintain law-and-order and will not cause anything that may cause communal disharmony." The private respondent in this case is Humayun Kabir.
Kabir has been a persistent critic within the Trinamool Congress, often taking positions diametrically opposed to the party line and making inflammatory statements that have caused embarrassment. His actions have led to disciplinary action against him by the party on several occasions.
This latest controversy comes eight months after violence erupted in Murshidabad following protests against the central government's Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The region remains sensitive, prompting the High Court's proactive intervention to prevent a recurrence of communal strife.
