Arson, Intimidation and Communal Targeting Mark BJP Takeover of Bengal
Kolkata: Even before the Bharatiya Janata Party government took oath in West Bengal, fear had already begun to settle over several Muslim neighbourhoods and working-class settlements across the state. From threats of eviction near railway tracks to reports of harassment at stations, colleges, mosques and markets, the initial days after the political change have been marked by deep uncertainty for Bengal's Muslims.
As Suvendu Adhikari was being sworn in amidst much pomp in central Kolkata, The Wire visited the residents of Basanti Colony in Bidhannagar – a settlement with equal parts Hindu and Muslim residents. Many were trying to figure out whether they would still have a roof over their heads in the days to come. Local BJP leaders have allegedly threatened residents of the colony, located beside the railway line, with eviction.
Rupa Biswas, an eatery owner who lives in the area, said, “The place where we live is state land. Our local BJP leaders have told us that now we will have to leave the area.”
On the same day, this reporter saw a young man gathering a few members of the colony and telling them that he has spoken to the "higher ups."
"The houses will not be removed immediately," he said.
For families already living under fragile bamboo-and-tarpaulin shelters, the message was clear. Survival would now depend on political alignment. A resident, who did not wish to be named, said, “There are 250 families living here. We vote for whoever is in power. Till now we were with Trinamool Congress. Now we will become BJP. Otherwise, where will we get shelter?”
Bidhannagar Colony. Photo: Joydeep Sarkar.
Just a few feet away, at the Bidhannagar Road station, nearly 200 railway hawkers who have worked there for years are also facing eviction. On May 5, the Railways issued a notice saying that all hawkers' stores would be removed.
Rajib Majumdar, the leader of the Railway Hawkers’ Union, told The Wire, “The same party is in power in the state and the Centre, and it is evicting both the adjacent slum and the hawkers at the same time. We met the Railway authorities and requested them to withdraw the decision. They have temporarily put it on hold.”
The fear is not limited to homes and livelihoods. For many Muslims, even moving through public spaces has become a source of anxiety. Videos trickling in through social media show a dismal and worrying picture. A video from Sealdah station shows an elderly Muslim couple breaking down in tears after allegedly being harassed over their religion.
In Howrah’s Domjur, at the Azad Hind Fauj Smriti Mahavidyalaya on May 5, Rajib Mohanta, a local BJP supporter, reportedly declared, “No female student will be allowed to come to college wearing a burqa.”
Reports from Azad Hind College suggest that students are facing intimidation and fear allegedly at the hands of BJP-backed miscreants, with Muslim women students being particularly targeted and harassed.
At a time when assurances of peace and normalcy are being publicly made,… pic.twitter.com/yvlqLbK5yD
— Kalyan Banerjee (@KBanerjee_AITC) May 7, 2026
The remark triggered outrage. The college has a large number of Muslim students, and after the statement, many reportedly stopped attending classes. Under pressure, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad issued a statement on May 8 saying that no such announcement had been made organisationally. It said the organisation did not support the remark and claimed Mohanta was not associated with it.
But by then, in several colleges across Howrah, rumours about similar restrictions began circulating, leading many students to stay away.
Sheikh Muhaddisin, speaking on behalf of the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO), said, “What is happening is against the constitution of the country. We protest the attempt to impose by force what someone should wear or what religious practices they should follow.”
In Uluberia, Howrah, Mahbul Haque, who works at a Kolkata-based organisation, described an atmosphere of intimidation in his locality since May 5.
Speaking over the phone, he said, “Since the 5th, an atmosphere of fear has been created in the area. When we were coming to work on the 5th, a group suddenly started throwing stones at us. After that, people from outside areas came on bikes, carrying BJP flags, and began gathering in the locality. No one in our area has the courage to step outside. We are afraid there may be an attack. But if we don’t go to work, what will we eat? That is also a worry.”
Nasir Ibrahim, spokesperson of Kolkata’s Nakhoda Mosque, told The Wire, “A new government has just been sworn in. Its policies have not yet been officially announced. So, I will not say anything about their policies right now. But we have heard about attacks on minorities. We see the whole thing as clashes or attacks between two political parties.”
But for Muslims living through this moment on the ground, the fear is more personal and more psychological.
Modassar Hossain, who regularly travels between Canning and Kolkata, said, “In 2011, when TMC set off bombs, committed murders, beat people up, and looted money, that was one kind of terror. But now, with triangular saffron flags, people are moving through the area, occasionally standing silently and staring at us. Some of them are old TMC faces. This is an even greater terror, because the blow is not to the body. They are striking the mind.”
Openly communal
The targeting of Muslims has also taken symbolic and openly communal forms.
In Siliguri, the Sanatani Hindu Sena has objected to rice sacks carrying the number 786, a number considered holy by many Muslims. The organisation declared, “No rice sack can have 786 written on it, because they believe such rice has been made halal.”
The statement was circulated through a viral video, though BJP leaders later refused to comment on it.
In Cooch Behar, tension broke out near the Takagachh Darjipara mosque after an attempt was allegedly made to put up a BJP flag on the mosque. Police later reached the area and brought the situation under control. Similar incidents were reported from parts of Howrah, Hooghly and North 24 Parganas. In several places, police intervention and efforts by local residents helped prevent the situation from escalating further.
Alongside communal intimidation, incidents of political vandalism have also been reported across the state.
After Jiaganj in Murshidabad, another Lenin statue was vandalised on May 8 in Garbeta in Paschin Medinipur. In Bongaon, a sculpture commemorating peasants’ resistance during the Indigo Revolt was destroyed. BJP supporters have been accused of carrying out both the attacks.
The newly elected BJP govt in the West Bengal broke a statue commemorating the 1859 Indigo Rebellion in Bongaon.
They are erasing all traces of the anti-colonial struggle, only to surrender at the feet of the new master- the USA. pic.twitter.com/E7FW8sPr7P
— Mayukh Biswas (@MayukhDuke) May 10, 2026
In Deuria village under Bansihari police station in South Dinajpur, a statue of Sidhu-Kanhu, Indian tribal freedom fighters who led the Santhal Rebellion (Santhal Hul) against British colonial rule, was broken and a BJP flag was allegedly planted at the site.
Shameful and deeply provocative.
In the Banshihari area of Dakshin Dinajpur, the statues of Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, the legendary heroes of the Santhal Rebellion, have been vandalised.
This is not mere vandalism. It is a direct attack on Adivasi pride, history and the identity… pic.twitter.com/6SUXtW4UOs
— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) May 11, 2026
Mwanwhile, the body of a man was found in Hooghly district on May 10. The TMC has claimed that the deceased was Sahadeb Bag, a member of Nokunda gram panchayat under Goghat 1 block. Sharing a picture of the blood-splattered body on social media, the party alleged that the number of its workers killed in post-poll violence in the state had risen to six.
In Kolkata’s New Market area, lawyer Ritankar Das has filed a case alleging that on the night election results were announced, BJP workers arrived with bulldozers in the presence of police and vandalised shops.
In central Kolkata, near New Market. With police permission. As part of victory celebrations a bulldozer was brought in to demolish meat shops. CAPF standing around.
THE BJP FOR YOU. Let the world see these pictures https://t.co/61HX1HUmf7— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) May 5, 2026
'They have come from TMC into the BJP'
BJP minister Ashok Kirtania told The Wire, “We want to warn the newly joined BJP members. They have come from TMC into the BJP and are doing things that are undesirable. We want an end to goonda raj.”
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has formed three committees to stand by party workers who have been attacked. Although the party has instructed its units to organise marches at the block level, several block leaders said they were unable to do so because they themselves remained confined to their homes.
On the night of May 10, a temporary market in Khejuri in Purba Medinipur was reportedly set on fire. The market had come up near the 500-year-old Hijli Masnad-e-Ala, close to the Bay of Bengal, and catered largely to tourists. The TMC has claimed that as may as 60 shops were gutted by "BJP-backed miscreants."
Is this how you plan to drive “Bhoi” out? By setting Bengal on fire?
What unfolded in Khejuri’s Nichkasba GP, Hijli Sharif is nothing short of barbaric.
Over 60 shops were torched by BJP-backed miscreants, destroying the livelihoods of innocent people overnight. Hindu-owned… pic.twitter.com/k9xHsjDtHa
— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) May 10, 2026
Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee told The Wire, “People are dying, houses are burning, there is fear everywhere. Where is the chief minister? These things are happening in his own district. Where is it written in Hindutva or Sanatan Dharma that the shops of poor people must be burned down? That people must be killed? Since the BJP won, extreme violence has spread.”
Amid the tension, intellectuals and eminent citizens from the state have issued a written appeal urging people to maintain peace and communal harmony during the political transition.
Translated from the Bengali original by Aparna Bhattacharya.
This article went live on May eleventh, two thousand twenty six, at forty-eight minutes past four in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
