Move to construct mosque modelled on Babri Masjid in Murshidabad offence under BNS: VHP

New Delhi, Dec 15 (PTI) The VHP on Monday contended that a move to construct a mosque modelled on Ayodhya's Babri Masjid in Murshidabad is an offence under the BNS and urged the West Bengal government to direct the lodging of an FIR against suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir.

In a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Alok Kumar alleged that the proposed naming of a mosque after Babur is a "deliberate symbolic act".

It is "foreseeably offensive to Hindus" and it has a direct tendency to "promote religious enmity", he charged.

"Also, Babur is historically associated with the destruction of Hindu religious sites. Naming of a mosque after him, seen along with the statements being made, proves that this is neither accidental nor incidental," the top VHP functionary noted.

It clearly is a "malicious act likely to outrage Hindu religious feelings", he charged.

"Therefore, we request that your government examine the applicability of Sections 196 and 299 of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) and other relevant sections of the law followed by the filing of an FIR and taking action as per law against Humanyun Kabir, MLA and his associates," Kumar added.

On December 6, Kabir, the suspended TMC leader, laid the foundation stone for a mosque modelled on Ayodhya's Babri Masjid at Rejinagar in Murshidabad district amid unprecedented security, injecting fresh political heat into an already polarised West Bengal ahead of the assembly polls due early next year.

The event, deliberately timed for December 6, the anniversary of the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, unfolded under a dense security blanket as state police, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and central forces converted stretches of Rejinagar and neighbouring Beldanga into controlled zones.

Taking serious exception to the move, the VHP chief stated in his letter to Banerjee, "The choice of the name and the date of commencement of construction, and the statements and speeches by Humayun Kabir, MLA, show that this is deliberate." It is "common knowledge" that Babur, who invaded the Indian subcontinent from Central Asia, was the founder of the Mughal dynasty in India, Kumar noted.

"Babur remains a deeply contentious and sensitive historical figure, especially in the context of Hindu religious and cultural sentiments," the VHP chief added. PTI PK PK KSS KSS