Where Tulsi Withered Before Shivling: Maheshtala’s Hindus Caught Between Demographics and Despair
- In Current Affairs
- 06:24 PM, Jun 19, 2025
- Vladimir Adityanaath
The targeted violence by Islamist mobs against local Hindu residents and on-duty Police personnel in the Rabindra Nagar region of Maheshtala and its neighbouring Nadial region of West Bengal on 11th June is mostly being reported as an isolated instance of communal violence. The Rabindra Nagar and Nadial regions are part of the Metiabruz Assembly Constituency.
Several academic reports like the Media on Migrants: Reports from the field – 2 (MCRG in 2020) [1] and District Human Development Report: South 24 Parganas (UNDP in 2009) [2] mention large parts of the Metiabruz Assembly Constituency like the DD Block area, as safe havens for illegal immigrants. These reports document the large number of unauthorised settlements scattered throughout the Metiabruz Assembly Constituency. Most of these illegal settlements were found along canals, railway lines, bus stands and other strategic locations. Social media platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) contain many discussions and videos of local Hindu and Muslim residents claiming that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh form a large percentage of the population [3] [4].
Several mainstream media reports have documented the presence of multiple arms manufacturing and assembling centres in the Maheshtala and Metiabruz region. Media houses like the “Times of India” and “The Economic Times” have reported that the weapon manufacturers of Metiabruz and Maheshtala have links with international weapon smugglers [5][6].
Muslim population according to the 2011 Census
|
Region |
Muslim population |
Muslim Population Percentage |
|
Maheshtala |
1,84,509 |
41.11% |
|
Metiabruz |
1,61,676 |
69.2% |
Local residents like Anirban Mitra, Subir Samanta and Jayanta Halder (names changed on request) claim that illegal immigration has only increased during the last 20 years. A shaking and fearful Jayanta Halder said, “People talk about Bangladeshi illegal immigrants. We are seeing Muslim settlers who cannot speak or understand Bengali, claiming to be native residents. All of them have ration cards and AADHAR cards. We cannot even pronounce their Arabic-sounding names.”
Anirban Mitra, an employee in the nearby Aarti Diagnostics Centre, claims that signs of demographic changes are clearly visible and the Maheshtala region is rapidly becoming another “mini-Pakistan”.
History of Violence against Hindus in Maheshtala and its neighbouring regions
The mob violence against the Hindu residents of Maheshtala and Nadial regions is the latest instance of Islamists attacking the lives, livelihoods, properties and places of worship of local Hindu residents. At least 2 Hindu temples and 2 religious processions in Maheshtala and its neighbouring regions were attacked during 2022-24:
- “Unknown miscreants” had vandalised a Durga Puja Mandap and desecrated the pratima of Maa Lakshmi on the night before Lakshmi Puja in 2024.
- Islamists had attempted to block the religious procession bringing the pratima of Maa Kali in the Choketbaari village before Kali Puja in 2022, on the highly dubious pretext that Hindu religious songs were being played in front of the mosque.
- Islamists had attacked a Kali Mandir in Satgachia and vandalised 6-7 shops belonging to Hindus at Satya Pir Tala in mid-2023.
- Islamists had attacked the Ram Navami procession between Vidya Nagar and Moukhali in 2022. At least 18-20 Hindu devotees were injured, and the RAF had to be deployed [7].
Violence at Rabindra Nagar
Several media outlets have reported that the violence in Rabindra Nagar was triggered after a land dispute. Local residents like Himanshu Sarkar, Tithi Dasgupta and Rajen Mondol (names changed on request) say that Muslim miscreants and anti-social elements were attempting to illegally occupy the land of a Shiva Temple located within 100 metres of the Rabindra Nagar Police Station for over six months. Local Hindus had noticed that the pond inside the Shiva Temple premises was gradually being filled with soil. Despite them filing complaints at the Rabindra Nagar Police Station and the desks of local administrative authorities, no action was taken.
Hindu residents of Rabindra Nagar allege that several Muslim fruit and vegetable vendors were encroaching on temple property. A Tulsi Mancha was hastily constructed on temple land to act as a symbolic barrier against further encroachment. A Muslim fruit vendor, who had set up shop within the temple premises, claimed that the Tulsi Mancha was constructed illegally at the site of his shop while he was away during Eid [8]. Local Hindu and Muslim residents like Bokul Mia (name changed on request) agree that the fruit vendor was only requested to shift his shop away from the temple premises.
A small group of Islamists had gathered around the Tulsi Mancha and began threatening to demolish the Temple and the Tulsi Mancha. Several hundred Islamists had assembled near the Rabindra Nagar Police Station at around noon. With slogans of “Nara-e-Takbir, Allahu Akbar”, the mob began attacking the Tulsi Mancha and the Shiva Temple [9]. The mob vandalised the Tulsi Mancha and a part of the Temple boundary and hurled stones and bricks at the temple.
Islamists began targeting the shops, properties and vehicles of local Hindu residents from around 1.30 p.m. At least 35 shops belonging to Hindus were looted and vandalised. Local residents and eyewitnesses like Himanshu Sarkar, Jayanta Haldar and Sourabh Biswas (names changed on request) claim that these attacks were carried out with planning and coordination. Many local residents claim that the Islamist aggressors had obtained and replenished their stock of projectiles from nearby shops selling construction materials and brick kilns.
The mob vandalised vehicles belonging to Hindus, selectively targeting vehicles having Hindu religious slogans like “Joy Maa Kali”. Local residents claim that a few Hindu travellers were dragged out of autos and harassed. Local residents claim that at least 30 Hindu civilians were injured during the attacks. The Islamist mob had also attacked the Aarti Diagnostic Centre owned by Congress politician Harimohan, creating a lot of panic among the stranded patients. At least 6 vehicles belonging to Hindus were vandalised, and 2 more vehicles were set on fire [7].
Local police personnel were ill-equipped and unprepared to deal with the Islamist aggressors. The Islamist mob began attacking police personnel, hurling brickbats and pelting stones at them. At least 5 policemen were injured during the initial clashes in Rabindra Nagar [10]. Additional forces from nearby Akra and Baratola Police Stations were mobilised to deal with the escalating violence. Police personnel fired tear-gas shells and had to lathi-charge several times to disperse the rampaging mob. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel had to be deployed to assist the local police, especially after the violence had spread to the adjacent Nadial area, under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police.
Violence at Nadial
After the initial clashes at Rabindra Nagar, some of the rioters had entered the Nadial-Rajabagan area. Police personnel suspect that the violence in the Nadial region is a coordinated escalation. A large mob of Islamists had regrouped near Santoshpur at around 3.30 in the afternoon. They pelted stones and brickbats at the Kolkata Police and RAF personnel. Bricks were hurled from the rooftops and a motorcycle belonging to Kolkata Police was torched in front of the Nadial Police Station, turning the area into a "virtual battlefield". At least 10-12 policemen were injured in Nadial, including Deputy Commissioner Harikrishna Pai and a female constable [11].
At least 8 vehicles, including police cars, were vandalised or set ablaze. Visuals from the scene showed burning autos, motorbikes and tires of roads, with heavy smoke indicating widespread arson.
Under the leadership of Commissioner Manoj Verma and ADG Supratim Sarkar, Kolkata Police personnel formed smaller riot control teams to chase and disperse the Islamist aggressors from around 4.30 pm. To disperse the rioters, police used tear gas and lathi-charged the mob. Reinforcements from Howrah, Bidhan Nagar and Barrackpore were rushed in to assist. The violence in Nadial was brought under control after nearly two hours of police action.
Aftermath
RAF personnel and armed state police personnel conducted route marches across a 3 km radius from Santoshpur Rail Bridge to Rabindra Nagar Police Station during the evening. Kolkata Police have arrested 12 individuals from the Nadial region and West Bengal Police have arrested 28 suspected rioters from the Rabindra Nagar region till now. Raids and search operations are still ongoing.
The violence in Rabindra Nagar and Nadial is being investigated as a mere law and order issue. The root causes of illegal immigration, demographic change and strong presence of organised crime (particularly weapons mafia) are not being addressed. The violence in Rabindra Nagar and Nadial shows that Hindu society cannot completely outsource its security to the state. Strong self-defence capabilities and a sense of community is mandatory to protect Hindu lives and livelihood during the initial phase of mob violence, even in places located within 100 metres of a Police Station.
Many local Hindu residents, like Madhurima Roy (name changed on request), are trying to overcome the sense of shock and distress by claiming that most of the rioters were outsiders. They could no longer believe the insincere claims of their Muslim neighbours that they would never indulge in such activities.
References
[2]https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/in/hdr_south24_parganas_2009_full_report.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjG7ND8ivaNAxXizzgGHY7JLFEQFnoECCIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw22NrkTmykdHzyonvfUzc3D
[3]https://x.com/sanjoychakra/status/1764287988647792900?t=wgD9IOnoqgd6fBD3xW66Jw&s=19
[4] https://www.reddit.com/r/IndiaSpeaks/s/B0nIdMWA14
[7] Testimonies from eyewitnesses
[9] https://x.com/MajiDevDutta/status/1932894810211549400
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