TNR News Network
SHIMLA: Suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir on Saturday (December 6, 2025) went ahead with his controversial plan to lay the foundation stone for a structure he has named the “Babri Masjid” in Murshidabad’s Beldanga in West Bengal on the same day the original Babri mosque was demolished in Ayodhya even as the Calcutta High Court refused to halt the event. The move has escalated political tension in the district and triggered a massive security deployment.
Kabir reached Beldanga early in the morning, reiterating that no authority could stop him from going ahead with the ceremony. “By 2 pm, I will lay the foundation stone. We will follow the high court’s directions and no power can prevent this programme,” he told reporters. He also alleged attempts to incite violence to derail the event, but claimed that “lakhs from South Bengal” would foil any such plan.
Crowd gathers with bricks; Kabir seeks minority unity
Since morning, crowds from neighbouring areas began arriving at Chetiani Moradighi carrying bricks, mirroring scenes from Ayodhya when devotees had brought bricks for the construction of the Ram temple.
Addressing reporters before reaching the venue, Kabir said Muslim voters must “fight unitedly”, noting, “There are 2.82 crore Muslim voters in Bengal. Minorities play a decisive role in 90 seats. We must ensure minority representation wins in every such constituency.”
Kabir also declared that the proposed complex would not only include a mosque, but also a hospital, an educational institute and a guest house open to all communities.
High Court leaves law and order to state
On Friday, the Calcutta High Court declined to stay the event while hearing a petition seeking a ban. The acting Chief Justice’s bench left the responsibility of maintaining peace to the West Bengal government. Nineteen companies of central forces have already been deployed in the region.
Welcoming the order, Kabir called it a “strong reply” to petitioners. “This is my constitutional right. I thank the judge. Those who went to court have been answered,” he told ANI.
Security blanket over Beldanga
Following a late-night meeting between Kabir and officers from the Hariharpara and Raninagar police stations, security was tightened in and around the site. Central forces conducted route marches overnight, while the deployment includes around 250 BSF personnel, 100 constables and several ACP-level officers. District SP Kumar Sunny Raj said all measures were in place to ensure peace.
Kabir was suspended by the TMC on December 4, days after he announced the December 6 “Babri Masjid” foundation plan. A senior TMC leader termed his actions “communal politics” and “gross indiscipline”. Kabir responded by accusing the party of humiliating him, announcing he would resign as MLA and launch a new political party on December 22. He claimed his outfit would contest 135 seats in the 2026 Assembly polls.
On Thursday, he sharply attacked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, declaring she would “become a former chief minister” after 2026. Kabir has a history of shifting parties, having been with the Congress and the BJP before joining the TMC.
State minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury held a late-night press conference urging clerics and community members not to fall for “misleading rhetoric”. Though he did not name Kabir, political observers said the minister had been sent to persuade the rebel MLA to withdraw the plan or reduce tensions.
Kabir’s choice of December 6 appears deliberately symbolic: the day marks the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid, one of the most sensitive dates in India’s communal history. Against this backdrop, his “Babri Masjid” foundation ceremony has ignited criticism across political lines and raised concerns of law-and-order disturbances.
