Extremists call for expulsion of Muslims to create ‘Hindu Bengal’

Abhijit Chandra Das, president of India’s extremist organisation Hindu Suraksha Samiti (HSS), has emerged as a Hindutva leader in West Bengal politics. Declaring “revenge” as his main objective, Das organised a “Direct Action Day” under the HSS banner in Jadavpur, Kolkata, on August 16, where he called for a “jihad-free” Bengal. A song posted by Das on his Facebook page on July 30 to promote the event said: “Razakar of ’46, leave this country / Your place is across that river / This land belongs to our forefathers.” According to Das’s ideology, because Bengal was partitioned along religious lines at the time of independence and Pakistan and Bangladesh are Muslim-majority countries, only Hindus have rights over India’s territory and, by extension, Bengal.

At the Jadavpur gathering, Das made explicit calls for violence against Muslims. He said, “They will stay in our country, eat our food, wear our clothes, engage in ‘love jihad’ with our girls and occupy our land—we will no longer tolerate this. Wherever we see a green flag, we will beat them until it turns red.” He further said, “We will not allow a single ‘jihadi’ to survive. Our ancestors bought this country with blood and through force. We will not give them [Muslims] any rights—only Hindus will live here, only Hindus will get jobs and do business. Only Hindus will enjoy their rights.”

The crowd at the gathering supported his remarks by chanting “Jai Shri Ram.” Das also distorted historical facts by blaming Vladimir Lenin for the partition of India and Bengal and provoked the unruly crowd to vandalise a nearby statue of Lenin. When police intervened, HSS members engaged in physical clashes with them. The organisation, registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860, claims to be non-political. However, apart from its Facebook page, it has no documented history, and its main activities appear to be concentrated in West Bengal.

‘Hindu Bengal’ agenda

In Facebook posts, Abhijit Das has demanded that West Bengal be renamed “Hindu Bengal,” Hinduism be declared the state religion, Muslims face social and economic boycotts, loudspeakers be removed from mosques, and the 14th-century Adina Mosque in Malda be replaced with an “Adinath Temple.” On May 18, HSS submitted a memorandum containing four demands to the West Bengal chief minister. The demands included 100% reservation for Bengali Hindus in government and private-sector jobs, a “Bengali Hindu Land Protection Bill,” a “Bengali Hindu Marriage Act” to prevent interfaith marriages and land transfers between Hindus and Muslims, and a separate “Gurukul Education Board” for teaching Sanatan Dharma.

On July 6, the birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Das said that those who hesitate to sing “Vande Mataram,” do not respect cows or do not follow Sanatani values have no right to live in the country. He also described madrasas as centres of terrorism.

Calls for land ‘reclamation’ and extremism

Das claims that his organisation is “reclaiming” land allegedly lost through “land jihad” and planting saffron flags on such land. He has also proposed introducing a “Bengali Hindu Homeland Tax.” He has travelled to different districts to spread discriminatory messages and posted videos of vehicles being stopped in the name of preventing cattle smuggling. The group also organised a march from Tarakeswar to Malda on July 20 to build an “Adinath Temple” at the site of the Adina Mosque in Malda. A Rudrabhishek ritual was performed there with a Shiva lingam. Although they did not receive legal permission, they threatened to forcibly conduct worship at the site.

Facebook posts and political links

Through a series of Facebook posts, Das has claimed that West Bengal belongs only to Bengali Hindus and described Muslims as “tenants” there. He has also posted provocative messages naming senior leaders of the state government. HSS members met and felicitated Hindutva leader Suvendu Adhikari after he assumed office as chief minister. Even before the election, Das had conducted anti-Muslim campaigns in various places and posted messages supporting the BJP.

Source: Alt News