A significant stretch of a major national highway in West Bengal was forced to close for three hours on Saturday afternoon due to a massive gathering for a politically charged religious event. The incident occurred in Murshidabad district, where suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir laid the foundation stone for a mosque he described as being built in the style of the Babri Masjid.
Highway Closure and Massive Police Deployment
A 12-kilometer section of National Highway-12, connecting Rejinagar to Beldanga, was completely shut down to traffic during the event. The closure was necessitated as several thousand people assembled, with some reports indicating participants carried bricks and stone chips. To manage the large crowd and prevent any untoward incident, authorities deployed a heavy police force. Several thousand officers, including some in full riot gear, cordoned off the area in Rejinagar. Their vigilance paid off, as the event concluded without any reported law and order breaches.
The elaborate security measures were in line with a directive from the Calcutta High Court issued just a day earlier. The court had instructed the state government to maintain a firm grip on law and order in Murshidabad to prevent any potential communal disturbance. Senior police officers from across the district were mobilized to ensure the situation remained under control.
The Foundation Ceremony and Emotional Speeches
The primary ceremony commenced a little before noon on a two-tier stage accommodating 400 people. MLA Humayun Kabir, who has been suspended from the Trinamool Congress, presided over the event. He introduced two individuals he described as "senior clerics from Saudi Arabia" to the gathering. The stage was set nearly a kilometer away from the proposed site for the mosque.
Amid chants of "Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar," Kabir cut a ceremonial ribbon. In his address, he framed the project as an act of "emotional restitution" for the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992. "Thirty-three years ago, a deep wound was inflicted on the hearts of Muslims. Today, we are applying a small balm to that wound," Kabir stated. He also revealed that he had received threats for announcing the mosque project.
Defending the initiative, Kabir asserted, "There is nothing unconstitutional about this. Building a place of worship is a constitutional right. Babri Masjid will be built." He invoked demographic figures, asking, "There are 40 crore Muslims in this country and four crore in this state. Can we not build one mosque here?" Beyond the mosque, he announced plans for an associated hospital, university, restaurant, and even a helipad.
Political Reactions and Financial Scale
The event triggered sharp political reactions. The Trinamool Congress, from which Kabir is suspended, responded cautiously. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh emphasized the right to build places of worship on private land but added a caveat. "But when such events are used to spread religious venom, to polarize, aiming to achieve certain political goals, then the issue does not remain confined to only religion," he said, clarifying that Kabir was suspended for working against the party's interests.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a strong critique. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya called the project a "political" effort designed to "inflame emotions and consolidate vote banks." Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh accused the Trinamool of seeking to stoke communal passions ahead of the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections.
The scale of the event was substantial from a logistical and financial perspective:
- Local brick kiln owner Abdul Bashir reported earning Rs 3.2 lakh by selling bricks at Rs 10 per piece, a rate higher than the usual Rs 8.
- Seven catering agencies were hired to prepare biryani for approximately 30,000 people.
- A close aide of Kabir revealed that food expenses alone amounted to around Rs 30 lakh, with the total budget for the event exceeding Rs 70 lakh.
- Donation boxes were placed to collect funds, and a State Bank of India account under the name "West Bengal Islamic Foundation of India" with a QR code was announced for contributions.
Despite the tensions and the large-scale mobilization, police officials confirmed that the event proceeded without necessitating any major intervention, and the highway was reopened after the three-hour closure.
