Two days before suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Humayun Kabir was set to begin construction of a mosque named ‘Babri Masjid’ in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, the state police attached properties worth ₹10 crore linked to Shariful Islam, the father-in-law of Kabir’s daughter.
The action followed a court order in connection with a drug trafficking case in which Ziaur Rahman, a relative of Islam, was arrested with nearly 500 grams of narcotics near Islam’s residence.
Kabir called it a political conspiracy. “A false case has been lodged simply to humiliate us politically,” Said the Bharatput MLA.
Kabir’s daughter, Najma Sultana, accused the police of repeatedly harassing her family by issuing notices. Alleging political targeting, she said the police action was part of a plan by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
“They are using me. I am married to a businessman, and my father-in-law is a big businessman. They are targeting him to harass him. If they harass me, my father gets harassed,” she said.
Sultana alleged that the harassment was linked to her father launching a new political party. Kabir won the Bharatpur seat on a Trinamool Congress ticket but has not officially stepped down as MLA.
On Monday afternoon, a large police contingent began the process of attaching several properties linked to Shariful Islam, including a hotel and a house, in the area adjacent to the Lalgola bus stand. The seizure operation lasted for over two hours.
According to local sources, Islam is a resident of Naldahari in the Lalgola panchayat area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Lalgola police station.
“We are investigating the sale of drugs across the porous international border and properties acquired using the proceeds of such activities under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act. We will auction the properties.” Said a senior police official.
According to sources, Islam has amassed properties worth over ₹100 crore through drug trafficking and owns flats and houses in Lalgola, Lalbagh and Berhampur in Murshidabad district, as well as in Kolkata. Shariful Islam was reportedly arrested twice earlier in connection with drug trafficking cases.
Kabir laid the foundation stone for a mosque modelled on the Babri Masjid on December 6, 2025, coinciding with the anniversary of the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya. The MLA had announced plans to build a Babri Masjid in Murshidabad in 2024, but the announcement did not draw serious attention until the following year.
The construction work is scheduled to begin on the afternoon of February 11 following a Quran recital. Around 5,000 people, including religious leaders from the minority community, are expected to attend the event.
He was suspended from the Trinamool Congress after the party opposed the construction of the mosque, following which Kabir formed his own outfit, the Janata Unnayan Party (JUP). He has said the party aims to play a decisive role in the formation of the next government and has announced plans to contest around 135 Assembly seats in the upcoming elections.
While the Bharatpur MLA claims he is being targeted by the TMC, the BJP frequently describes Kabir as the “B-team" of the ruling party.
