More than 3,000 personnel from the state police, Rapid Action Force, BSF, and central armed units have been deployed across Beldanga and surrounding areas. The High Court, while refusing a stay on the ceremony, directed the state government to ensure law and order. The administration has set up security checkpoints across the region, which has a history of communal tension.
The political fallout intensified with the BJP accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of stoking unrest. BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya said Beldanga’s volatile past and its proximity to NH-12 made the situation particularly sensitive. “Mamata Banerjee is playing with fire,” he posted on X, warning of potential disruption to the crucial highway link to North Bengal.
Kabir, who was suspended by the TMC earlier this week, said the event would follow all administrative guidelines. The ceremony is being held on a 25-bigha plot where a large stage and seating arrangements for over 400 people have been set up. Organisers expect more than three lakh attendees, with over 60,000 food packets prepared and 3,000 volunteers deployed to manage crowds. Religious leaders from Saudi Arabia are also expected to participate.
The day’s schedule includes prayers at 10 a.m., the foundation ceremony at noon, and a community meal in the afternoon. Authorities have stationed additional traffic personnel near NH-12 to prevent congestion.
Tensions around the event have been escalating since November 28, when posters announcing a December 6 foundation ceremony surfaced across Murshidabad. The TMC later disowned Kabir’s plans and suspended him, prompting the MLA to declare that he would form his own party and contest 135 seats in the next assembly elections.
