Murshidabad: Suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a “Babri Masjid-style” mosque at Beldanga in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district amid tight security and a massive public turnout.
Kabir cut a ceremonial ribbon on the dais alongside visiting clerics as slogans of “Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar” rang out at the venue, where thousands had gathered since morning. Police, RAF and central forces were deployed in strength across Rejinagar and the adjoining Beldanga area to maintain law and order.
Kabir alleged that attempts were made to derail the programme but asserted that “lakhs” of people would foil any such conspiracy. “I will lay the foundation stone for the mosque at Beldanga. No force can stop it. We will go by the orders of the Calcutta High Court,” he told reporters earlier in the day.
He further claimed there were efforts to instigate violence to disrupt the ceremony. “Lakhs of people from across south Bengal districts will foil such attempts. It will be a peaceful ceremony. We have every right to have a place of worship as per the Constitution. Over 2,000 volunteers are on duty,” he said.
Kabir said the project would not be limited to a mosque. The plan includes a hospital, an educational institution and a guest house for people of all communities visiting the site. He also accused the TMC of “polarising the issue on religious lines like the BJP”, alleging that “conspiracies” were being hatched around the programme.
On the ground, there was a massive build-up since early morning, with local residents and volunteers arriving in large numbers. People like Safiqul Islam from Uttar Barasat were seen transporting bricks and helping with preparations at the site. Kabir claimed that close to 3 lakh people could gather across a 25-bigha area, and said religious leaders from multiple states had confirmed their participation. “Two qazis from Saudi Arabia will arrive in a special convoy from Kolkata airport in the morning,” he added.
The event was marked by elaborate arrangements, including large-scale food provisions. Seven catering groups were reportedly engaged to prepare shahi biryani for the crowd. Around 40,000 food packets were being readied for visitors and another 20,000 for locals, with the food bill alone estimated at over ₹30 lakh. The overall expenditure for the event is expected to reach ₹60–70 lakh.
A 150 ft by 80 ft dais, erected above the fields to host around 400 guests, is estimated to cost about ₹10 lakh. More than 3,000 volunteers, including around 2,000 mobilised on Friday, were tasked with managing entry points, regulating traffic and overseeing crowd dispersal.
Kabir said the day’s proceedings would begin with Quran recitation at 10am, followed by the foundation ceremony at noon. “Formalities will start two hours earlier. By 4pm, the ground will be cleared as per police directives,” he said.
With authorities anticipating a huge turnout, security and traffic management along NH-12 emerged as key concerns. A senior police officer said the primary focus was to keep the highway functional, adding that additional forces had been deployed and multiple diversion routes kept ready if needed.
Kabir, however, voiced confidence about a strong turnout and played down both the political controversy and the heavy security presence. “People will come because this is a historic moment for the area,” he said.