Tensions rise in Bengal over Shivling installation bid near historical mosque
New Delhi: Tensions have flared in West Bengal’s Malda district after a Hindu organisation announced plans to install a 3.6-foot-tall Shiva Lingam outside the 14th-century Adina Mosque, one of eastern India’s most prominent Islamic monuments.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the proposal was made by Adinath Puratan Shiv Mandir organisation, headed by Kajal Goswami, who also serves as convenor of BJP’s Good Governance Wing in North Bengal. The group claims the mosque was built over an ancient Hindu temple and says it will approach the Calcutta High Court for an archaeological survey.
The Adina Mosque, built in 1373 during the Bengal Sultanate and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, has faced similar campaigns before. In 2024, a group performed rituals inside the monument after claiming to have found a Shivling, prompting police complaints.
Local Muslims and opposition parties condemned the move as part of a wider BJP-RSS campaign to target medieval mosques. CPI-M leader Mohammad Salim accused the BJP of using religious issues to create communal polarisation.
Malda police said the mosque is protected under the Ancient Monuments Act and warned that no unauthorised religious activity would be allowed.
