Kabir lays mosque foundation stone in Rejinagar as cops keep close watch
Times of India | 7 December 2025
Berhampore: A 12-km stretch of National Highway-12, from Rejinagar to Beldanga in Murshidabad, remained shut for three hours on Saturday afternoon as several thousand people, some carrying bricks and stone chips, gathered at suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir's foundation stone-laying for a "Babri Masjid-styled" mosque. Several thousand cops, some in riot gear, ringed the zone in Rejinagar and no untoward incident was reported.
The primary event started on a two-tier stage with 400 people a little before 12pm as Kabir introduced two "senior clerics from Saudi Arabia". Kabir, speaking from the stage set nearly a kilometre away from the proposed mosque site, cut a ceremonial ribbon amid chants of "Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar".
"There is nothing unconstitutional about this. Building a place of worship is a constitutional right. Babri Masjid will be built," Kabir said. Referring to the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, he framed the project as an "emotional restitution".
Police kept a close watch on the developments but the event did not necessitate any intervention because there were no incidents or law and order breach. The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the state to handle law-and-order in Murshidabad with a firm hand to pre-empt any communal disturbance.
Senior officers across Murshidabad police stations were drawn in to keep the situation under control. Though Kabir publicly alleged a conspiracy to derail the event, he said the administration did let that happen.
"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 said, claiming that he had received threats for announcing the mosque.
Invoking demography, he said: "There are 40 crore Muslims in this country and four crore in this state. Can we not build one mosque here?" Kabir also announced that there would not only be a mosque but a hospital, university and restaurant for tourists. There will also be a helipad, he added.
Local brick kiln owner Abdul Bashir said he earned Rs 3.2 lakh selling bricks at Rs 10 per piece, higher than the usual Rs 8/piece rate. Seven catering agencies were contracted to prepare biryani for around 30,000 people. A close aide of Kabir told PTI that the food expenses alone accounted for Rs 30 lakh. The total budget was over Rs 70 lakh. Donation boxes were kept to collect funds and a SBI bank account with a QR code in the name of "West Bengal Islamic Foundation of India" was also announced.
Trinamool reacted cautiously to the events. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: "Any individual or a group of individuals have a right to build a temple, mosque or church in their own private land. On that, we have nothing to say. 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." Referring to Kabir, he said, "He has been suspended for working against the party's interests."
The event drew a barrage of criticism from BJP. "This so-called mosque project is not a religious effort but a political one, designed to inflame emotions and consolidate vote banks," said BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya. BJP senior and former Bengal unit chief Dilip Ghosh alleged that "Trinamool was seeking to stoke communal passions ahead of the 2026 assembly elections".