Don't play with fire: Humayun Kabir warns Bengal govt on Eid prayer, qurbani

Humayun Kabir's confrontation with the BJP government led by Suvendu Adhikari in West Bengal intensified, with the AJUP supremo warning Adhikari "not to play with fire" as he launched a broad attack on the state government over issues ranging from ritual cow sacrifice and Eid prayers on roads to the mandatory singing of Vande Mataram in madrasas.

The confrontation erupted after the Bengal government notified fresh guidelines restricting cow slaughter unless specific conditions are met ahead of Eid al-Adha. Kabir hit back strongly, asserting that qurbani, the ritual sacrifice of animals, including cows, would take place regardless of the restrictions.

The Bengal government had clarified that the guidelines on cattle slaughter had nothing to do with Eid.

That confrontation escalated further after Humayun Kabir, a former TMC member and Rejinagar MLA, raised the issue of restrictions on Eid prayers on Red Road, as well as the compulsory singing of Vande Mataram in madrasas across the state. Kabir has warned that the government's actions risked sparking unified protests by the Muslim community in the state.

QURBANI WILL HAPPEN AT ANY COST, ASSERTS HUMAYUN KABIR

Humanyun Kabir has strongly opposed the West Bengal government's new restrictions on cow slaughter that were notified ahead of Eid al-Adha on May 28. The notice had stated that no cattle or buffalo can be slaughtered until and unless it is certified in writing that the animal is over 14 years old and no longer fit for work or breeding, or has become permanently incapacitated due to old age, injury, deformity, or any incurable disease.

In response, Kabir had argued that the act of qurbani (wherein animals, including cattle, are sacrificed), was a longstanding religious tradition, and would continue regardless of directives. "The government can make a rule asking Muslims not to eat beef, but ritual sacrifice [qurbani] will continue. We won’t listen to any objections," ANI quoted Kabir as saying.

Since then, however, a petition that had been submitted by TMC MLA Akhruzzaman to the Calcutta High Court to stay the cattle-slaughter notice was rejected on Thursday. In its ruling, the court observed that the Supreme Court had previously held that cow sacrifice is neither an essential part of Eid al-Adha nor a mandatory religious practice under Islam.

As such, Kabir on Thursday asserted that animal sacrifice during Eid "will happen at any cost".

Kabir, who founded the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) after being booted out of Trinamool Congress, said Muslims would not compromise on the issue of qurbani and accused the Bengal government of interfering in religious matters.

"We respect the law. But qurbani will happen. Whatever is written in the Quran will happen. I want to tell Suvendu Adhikari directly not to play with fire. It may prove dangerous for you. The Muslim community will not compromise on qurbani," he said.

However, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya brushed aside Kabir's remarks and maintained that the issue was about enforcing law and preventing illegal activities. "Illegal slaughterhouses will not be allowed to operate," he was reported by PTI as saying on Thursday.

He clarified that the BJP does not interfere with people's individual food preferences but firmly opposes open or public slaughter of cows. "Illegal slaughterhouses will not be allowed to operate. But if someone says they want to eat beef, they will eat beef. In a democratic country, no one’s consumption of beef can be stopped," the Bengali newspaper Sangbad Pratidin quoted him as saying.

THERE WILL BE PROTESTS IF PRAYERS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON RED ROAD, SAYS MUSLIM LEADER

Another issue raised by Humayun Kabir on Thursday was the West Bengal government’s ban on large-scale Eid prayers in Kolkata.

The traditional Eid congregational prayers on Kolkata’s iconic Red Road — a decades-old practice where thousands of Muslims gathered for namaz — might not take place under the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government.

The ban was announced in early May 2026, shortly after the BJP assumed power, with the government directing that no religious prayers or gatherings would be permitted on public roads and streets. Authorities cited traffic blockades and inconvenience to the public as the primary reasons for the restriction.

"Eid prayers are held on Red Road. If that is not allowed in future, there will be protests. Adequate space should be provided for offering prayers. If arrangements are not made, then pujas on roads should not be allowed either," Kabir was quoted as saying by PTI.

In response, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya warned Kabir that not allowing pujas on roads would result in massive public anger.

"The things that Akbar, Babur, and Humayun had stopped 300–400 or 500 years ago will start happening again. They will once again stop pujas in Bengal. The people of Bengal will not stay silent. The public will not spare them. People are very angry. The state government will not be able to control everything. They will land in trouble," Sangbad Pratidin quoted Bhattacharya as saying.

HUMAYUN KABIR OPPOSES BENGAL'S VANDE MATARAM MOVE

Kabir also raised the issue of West Bengal making the singing of Vande Matarm, India's National Song, compulsory in madarasas in the state a week after making it mandatory in schools.

"Vande Mataram will not be sung in madrasas. The government has no authority to dictate such matters in madrasas," Kabir was quoted by PTI as saying on Thursday. He further claimed that if the directive was enforced, "All Muslims will unite to protest such a diktat".

In response, West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh on Friday asserted that singing of Vande Mataram is compulsory in all schools and madrasas across the state, wherever government funds are used.

"Vande Mataram will be sung in all schools and madrasas, everywhere. Wherever government funds are used, and government laws apply, the national song must be sung. This is how it is followed across the country," Ghosh was quoted by PTI as saying.

The sharp exchange between Humayun Kabir and BJP leaders has intensified in West Bengal ahead of Eid al-Adha. While Kabir has warned of widespread protests and unified Muslim resistance, the BJP government has made it clear that it will not give in to pressure and relent on enforcing laws related to animal slaughter, public gatherings, and national symbols in government-aided institutions.

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