Thousands lay foundation for ‘Babri-style’ mosque in Bengal
Murshidabad: Thousands of locals and volunteers, along with several Islamic scholars, laid the foundation stone of a mosque modelled on the demolished Babri Masjid at Rejinagar in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, coinciding with the 33rd anniversary of the mosque’s destruction on December 6, 1992.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Humayun Kabir, the suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA, led the event. The participants in the event chanted “Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar”, while large contingents of police, RAF and central forces were present there.
Kabir said the project would not only include the mosque but also a hospital, an educational institution, and a guest house to serve people of all communities visiting the site. Reports said seven catering groups were engaged to prepare shahi biryani for the attendees, with 40,000 food packets for visitors and 20,000 for local residents.
Addressing concerns about his suspension, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh clarified that Kabir was suspended for repeatedly issuing anti-party statements and not for the foundation-laying of the mosque, stressing that the event had no connection with his suspension.
The foundation-laying ceremony symbolises a community-led effort to preserve Islamic heritage in Murshidabad, and it was formally inaugurated by Humayun Kabir himself, marking the beginning of construction of the new mosque and associated facilities.
