Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir laid the foundation stone of a Babri-style mosque in Murshidabad on December 6, prompting massive security deployment and sharp political reactions.
Murshidabad: Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir cuts a ceremonial ribbon alongside clerics during the foundation-laying of a Babri Masjid–model mosque in Rejinagar on December 6. (ANI video grab)
Murshidabad turned into a political flashpoint on Saturday after suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir went ahead and laid the foundation stone for what he claimed would be a Babri Masjid-modelled mosque, asserting that “not a single brick” could be moved. The event, staged on December 6, the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, drew thousands to Rejinagar and immediately deepened the political fault lines in West Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly Elections.
Kabir, suspended earlier this week for what the TMC described as “communal politics”, framed the ceremony as a constitutional right. He told supporters that building a mosque was no different from constructing a temple or church, insisting that the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya judgment did not prevent the reconstruction of a Babri-named mosque elsewhere.
Advertisement
Speaking at the event, Kabir said, as quoted by ANI, “I am not doing anything unconstitutional. Anyone can build a temple, anyone can build a church; I will build a mosque. It is being said that we cannot build the Babri Masjid. It is not written anywhere. The Supreme Court gave a judgment which stated that the Hindu people had demolished the Babri Masjid. Considering the sentiments of Hindus, the decision was taken to build a temple here. Now we see someone laying the foundation stone for a Ram Temple in Sagardighi. But the Constitution allows us to build a mosque.”
Advertisement
He reiterated that legal challenges would not deter him. “Five cases have been filed against me, but no one can stop someone with whom Allah is. The court has also clearly stated that it is written in the Constitution of India that one can build a mosque; it is a right,” he said.
Kabir claimed strong public backing from Bengal’s 37 per cent Muslim population and said Rs 300 crore had been budgeted for the project, which would include a mosque, hospital, guesthouse and meeting hall. “It is a promise of the Muslims: The Babri Masjid will be built, it will be built, it will be built,” he vowed.
He also referred to the original Babri Masjid in Ayodhya as a “historically controversial site” and dared political opponents to stop the Murshidabad project.
Kabir reached the venue under police protection and cut a ceremonial ribbon alongside visiting clerics as slogans of “Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar” rang out. The area remained under a heavy security blanket, with large contingents of police, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and central forces deployed across Rejinagar and adjoining Beldanga.
#WATCH | Murshidabad, West Bengal: Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir lays the foundation stone of Babri Masjid. pic.x.com/rvCnocvTbK
— ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2025
He told reporters before leaving home that the administration was cooperating with him following a Calcutta High Court order. “I will lay the foundation stone of Babri Masjid today… Police are supporting me. Murshidabad Police and State Police are all supporting me. I thank them,” he told ANI.
Kabir’s insistence on going ahead with the programme had already drawn sharp criticism from political opponents and religious leaders. BJP’s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, reacting in Delhi, dismissed the event as political theatre. “… Even if Babar’s father, Umar Shaikh, were to rise from his grave, the Babri Masjid could never be rebuilt. The days of atrocious foreign invaders are gone forever. TMC leaders indulge in this drama and then play politics over it…,” he said.
Congress MP Imran Masood also condemned the move. “These people are mentally sick. Let the Muslims live in peace in India. Do not spread hatred like BJP and its people do… Why create a fuss about making a mosque for your politics while it is just for worshipping?,” he said.
Kabir had earlier announced that he would resign from the Assembly by December 8 and launch his own political party on December 22, a declaration that came shortly after the TMC suspended him. Party leaders, including Minister Firhad Hakim, have accused him of attempting to reignite memories of the Babri demolition and hinted at possible BJP influence in his actions. Kabir has denied receiving any official suspension order, saying he learnt of it from the media.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, speaking at a Berhampore rally on December 4, warned against attempts to polarise Murshidabad ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
“Trinamool Congress does not practise communal politics and is firmly against it. We cannot forget the history of Murshidabad. Siraj-ud-Daulah is revered in every home here. This district is the land of the Nawabs. It has holy places of all religions. People remember Siraj. The people of Murshidabad will not accept the politics of riots,” said Banerjee.
Clerics too have distanced themselves from Kabir’s initiative. Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi of the Barelvi sect criticised the suspended MLA for using a sensitive symbol to stir emotions.
“He wants to turn Murshidabad into Ayodhya… Build a mosque but don’t name it after Babri,” he told IANS.
Advertisement
