Tight security is in place in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, where suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir is organising the foundation-laying ceremony of a Babri Masjid-style mosque on Saturday.
Kabir claimed that two qazis from Saudi Arabia and religious leaders from several states would attend the ceremony. “Nearly 3 lakh people will gather across 25 bighas near Moradighi on Saturday,” he said on Friday.
A close aide of the MLA told PTI that about 40,000 packets of shahi biryani were being made for guests and another 20,000 for local residents, pushing food expenses alone past Rs 30 lakh. Seven Murshidabad-based catering agencies have been reportedly contracted to cook the biryani.
The programme starts with Quran recitation at 10 am, while the main ceremony will be held at noon. The organisers of the event said nearly 3,000 volunteers have been deployed to manage crowd movement, regulate access roads and prevent bottlenecks on NH-12.
Police have tightened security in the area, deploying nearly 3,000 personnel across Beldanga and Raninagar police station jurisdictions. Rapid Action Force (RAF) teams have already arrived in Rejinagar.
"Our primary concern is keeping the national highway running. Extra forces have arrived from the headquarters. Multiple diversion plans are in place," a senior police officer told the news agency.
The Calcutta High Court on Friday declined to intervene in the issue and asserted that maintaining public order is the responsibility of the state.
Kabir, who had signalled revolt in the Trinamool Congress for months and recently declared his intention to float a new outfit, was suspended from the party on Thursday after his move stirred up a political storm in the state.
"Kabir was involved in communal politics, which the TMC is strictly against. TMC does not believe in communal politics. He will have no relation with the party from this moment. He is suspended on the instructions of our top leadership," party leader Firhad Hakim had said while announcing the rebel leader’s suspension.