Babri Masjid and Humayun Kabir: Inside Beldanga’s charged silence

“Rajneeti nie kichu bolbo na”, we will not speak about politics. That is the repeated line from workers and staff at the Babri Masjid site in Beldanga, Murshidabad. Their trepidation is not hard to understand. The leaked tape controversy around former TMC MLA Humayun Kabir has already disrupted the trajectory of his newly formed party, AJUP, with AIMIM pulling out of the alliance. Kabir is the key force behind the plan to build a Babri Masjid in Murshidabad, a project that has drawn attention not just nationally, but even across the border. On the ground, however, construction is moving at a slow, uneven pace, with most people saying it may pick up only after the election.

The larger question remains unanswered. Is the future of the Babri Masjid tied to Humayun Kabir’s own electoral fortunes? A purported clip released by Trinamool allegedly showed Kabir discussing a Rs 1,000 crore deal with the BJP and talking about misleading Muslim voters. The clip has not been independently verified. Kabir first dismissed it as fake and AI-generated. Later, he changed tack, saying it was real but selectively edited from a longer conversation. Whether his political and financial support system remains intact may become clear only after the results. Kabir is contesting from two nearby seats, Rejinagar and Naoda. To complete a project like this, he would need considerable political leverage and financial heft, especially after Union home minister Amit Shah said no Babri Masjid would be allowed to come up in Bengal if the BJP came to power. Abhishek Banerjee, from the other side, has attacked Kabir as someone effectively helping the BJP in the district. That leaves Kabir politically squeezed from both sides.




Those political cross-currents are visible in the sombre mood at the site. The foundation ceremony was held on December 6 last year, the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. The symbolism was unmistakable. At the time, there was visible excitement, with donations reportedly pouring in and people arriving with bricks for construction. Kabir had said the structure would be modelled on the Babri Masjid, with a larger complex that would also include a hospital and a guest house. A visit to the site now shows bricks still stacked and waiting to be used. Around it, a small Babri economy has taken shape. Mugs are being printed, T-shirts are being sold, and local businesses have started borrowing the Babri name.

Locals say construction has slowed because of the heat and the election. Even so, people continue to come in the evenings, some out of curiosity, some out of sympathy, and some perhaps because they want to witness a site whose meaning goes well beyond its boundary wall.

Humayun Kabir is no fringe figure in Murshidabad. He began in the Congress, moved to Trinamool, was expelled, joined the BJP, lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Murshidabad, returned to Trinamool, and was suspended again in December 2025 after pushing the Babri Masjid project. Since then, he has launched AJUP.

Construction formally began in February. For now, the project depends on donations, making the timeline uncertain. Around two dozen workers are currently on site. The project is spread across around 11 bighas. Boundary walls are being built. Masons have been at work for the past few weeks, while shuttering began earlier. Food and lodging are arranged locally. Depending on the payment system, workers put in nine or twelve hours a day. Some associated with the site say the mosque could be completed in three years. Others are less specific. Nothing about the site suggests immediate completion.

Commerce, meanwhile, has moved faster than construction. White mugs and T-shirts are being brought from Kolkata and printed locally with Babri branding. Prices are modest. These are not premium souvenirs, but tokens for visitors who want to carry something back. One local shopkeeper says footfall is lower now than it was earlier. Still, the existence of this small merchandise economy is telling. Before the mosque is complete, the market has already recognised its emotional and symbolic value.

After the votes are counted, Beldanga will reveal what this moment really was. A project of faith, a piece of political theatre, or a gamble that outgrew its maker. For now, the bricks remain stacked, the work remains slow, and the silence around the site says more than the slogans around it. In Murshidabad, the Babri Masjid is still under construction. The politics around it is not.
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