A group that represents about 20 Hindu organizations is planning more than 2,000 rallies across West Bengal to celebrate Ram Navami on April 6. This has made local leaders worried about possible violence since there have been problems in past years during these celebrations.
Jawed Shamim, the extra police chief in charge of law and order, is asking people to stay alert and not to react to rumors that could cause violence. Recently, two men were arrested in Howrah for plotting to cause trouble during the rallies. Bikarna Naskar, part of the group organizing the rallies, said they talked to the police after hearing about threats to their events.
Although there are rules against carrying weapons, Naskar did not say if people would bring tridents and swords to the rallies. An RSS leader named Jishnu Basu mentioned that if police ban weapons, it should apply to both Ram Navami and Muharram processions. He also stated that while the RSS doesn’t hold rallies, they support large gatherings of Hindus.
Sanjay Sashtri from Hindu Jagran Manch said the government must ensure everyone’s safety during Ram Navami and that people have the right to defend themselves if attacked. The opposition party, BJP, is pushing their agenda focused on Hindu issues before the 2026 elections and criticized the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for previous attacks on rallies. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar warned that Hindus should gather for their rallies this year to stand up against attacks.
Majumdar also accused the police of not doing enough to protect Hindus after incidents in Malda. Meanwhile, a TMC lawmaker said Majumdar only came to stir up trouble, and that BJP leaders join rallies but don’t organize them.
Another group, the Paschim Banga Rajya Sanatan Bhahman Trust, which is linked to TMC, is putting up signs promoting unity among Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians. Former TMC minister Rajib Banerjee, who briefly joined BJP, criticized them for using Hindu themes just for elections, believing it does not work in Bengal.
With these tensions ahead of the festival, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari suggested his party should focus only on Hindu voters for the next elections, ignoring Muslims, who are 27% of the population. While BJP won a big portion of the last votes, they only won 75 of the 294 assembly seats in 2021, and need support from more Hindus to win again.
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