MURSHIDABAD — As “Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar” reverberated in the background, Humayun Kabir, the suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA, cut the ceremonial ribbon to mark the foundation of a mosque – modelled on the demolished Babri Masjid in Ayodhya – at Rejinagar in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Saturday. The event, attended by several Islamic scholars and thousands of locals, coincided with the anniversary of the dastardly destruction of the mosque by Hindu zealots on December 6, 1992.
The foundation-laying ceremony took place under a heavy security blanket with large contingents of police, RAF and central forces deployed across Rejinagar and the adjoining Beldanga area to maintain law and order.
Not only a mosque at Beldanga, but there will also be a hospital, an educational institution and a guest house for people of all communities visiting the place, Humayun Kabir said.
According to media reports, thousands of local residents and volunteers began assembling at the site early in the morning.
Humayun Kabir also alleged that conspiracies were also hatched to disrupt the event.
According to reports, seven catering groups were hired to prepare shahi biryani for the crowds gathered for the ceremony and 40,000 food packets were prepared for the visitors and 20,000 for the locals.
The Trinamool Congress on Saturday clarified that Humayun Kabir has not suspended from the party for expressing his intent to construct the mosque in Murshidabad, but for repeatedly issuing anti-party statements over the past few months.
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said Kabir’s suspension had nothing to do with religion or the foundation-laying event in Murshidabad.
