Muslim community members are donating large amounts of money for Humayun Kabir’s proposed new Babri Masjid in West Bengal's Murshidabad, which has spiralled into a political controversy. Monday marked the second day of opening the donation boxes, taking the total donations to more than Rs 2.85 crore within just two days of the foundation stone laying ceremony.
A team of 30 people was again deployed to count the cash. On the first day, a total of Rs 37.33 lakh were counted, and on the second day the team counted Rs 38.34 lakh. This brought the two day cash total, counted at Kabir’s Shakti Nagar residence, to Rs 75.67 lakh. In addition to the physical boxes, donations are also being made through bank accounts, where deposits had crossed Rs 2.10 crore by Monday afternoon.
In all, donations amounting to more than Rs 2.85 crore have been collected within two days for the proposed Babri Masjid style mosque announced by suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir. Seven sealed donation boxes are still to be opened, officials involved in the process said.
Murshidabad Babri Masjid row
Kabir laid the foundation stone of the Rejinagar mosque on Saturday under heavy security. He chose December 6 deliberately, the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. The move immediately heightened political tensions in an already polarised poll-bound Bengal. Kabir, a former Congress MLA who joined the Trinamool Congress in 2012, briefly shifted to the BJP and then returned to the ruling party in 2020. His political journey has been marked by turbulence and repeated conflicts with the party leadership, which eventually led to his suspension.
The foundation stone laying ceremony drew tens of thousands of people. Elaborate arrangements were made, including the distribution of shahi biryani to around 40 thousand attendees. Eleven large stainless steel donation boxes were placed at the venue that day, and Kabir urged people to contribute for the construction of the mosque.
Donations, manpower flowing in
Since then, supporters have continued to arrive with cash and even bricks for the upcoming structure, local residents said. Cash counting began at 7 pm on Sunday and continued till midnight. It was carried out by a team of 30 people using special counting machines. The remaining seven boxes are scheduled to be opened from 5 pm on Monday, with the same team supervising the process.
Kabir said that the counting was live streamed to ensure transparency. According to him, the public response has exceeded all expectations. He also claimed that donations are coming from outside India as well. Officials involved in the work said arrangements are being made to shift the collected cash to a secured room fitted with CCTV surveillance, and discussions with banks are underway regarding its safe handling.
Kabir was suspended by the Trinamool Congress just days before the foundation ceremony, as the party distanced itself from his December 6 announcement. The timing coincided with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Murshidabad for a rally against the voter list revision exercise. Kabir walked out of the rally venue in protest. Following his suspension, he announced that he will launch a new political party on December 22 and field candidates in 135 assembly constituencies in the forthcoming West Bengal elections. He has reiterated that the Rejinagar mosque will be built at any cost.
Even as political temperatures remain high in the region, locals said people are still arriving at the construction site with materials, underscoring the emotional pull of a project that has already become a major political and religious flash point in poll-bound West Bengal.
