FIR filed against Mamata Banerjee over alleged ‘dirty religion’ remark on Sanatan Dharma

Kolkata: Law enforcement officials registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Tuesday against Trinamool Congress (TMC) Chairperson and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly making derogatory remarks regarding Sanatan Dharma during an Eid celebration in Kolkata last year.

The criminal complaint, submitted by advocate Rinki Chatterjee Singh at the Siliguri Cyber Police Station, asserts that Banerjee's public statements insulted the religious convictions of Sanatan Dharma practitioners and fostered communal division.

Within the formal filing, Singh alleged that the TMC leader characterised Sanatan Dharma as "ganda dharma" (dirty religion), an assertion that "deeply hurt the religious sentiments and beliefs of millions of followers."

The legal complaint further notes that during the 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election campaign, Banerjee issued a provocative declaration implying that if a specific demographic community targeted Hindus, "their 12 ta beje jabe" (a Bengali colloquial phrase indicating severe repercussions).

Singh contended in the legal document that the expressions were calculated to "influence voters through fear and intimidation" while intentionally inciting "social unrest and communal disharmony."

Statutory Charges Under the New Penal Code

Police authorities formalised the First Information Report (FIR) under multiple modern statutory provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which serves as India's updated criminal code.

The codified counts include Section 351(1) for criminal intimidation alongside Section 352 for intentional insult engineered to provoke a breach of public peace.

Investigating authorities additionally applied Section 353(2) of the penal framework, a statutory provision that criminalises the dissemination of information structured to generate hatred or animosity between distinct religious groups.

Preceding Political Criticisms

The legal development follows public criticisms levelled in March by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari, who served as the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal at the time. Adhikari accused Banerjee of demeaning religious practices and exploiting communal rhetoric during a public speech.

In a public statement posted on the social platform X, Adhikari questioned the former Chief Minister's use of the phrase "Ganda Dharm" during a public gathering at Red Road held to commemorate Eid-ul-Fitr.

"Which religion were you specifically referring to? Sanatan Hindu Dharma?" Adhikari asked in his post, accusing the TMC leader of utilising an "incomprehensible gibberish Urdu dialect" to appease the Muslim demographic while disparaging an alternate faith.

The opposition leader further alleged that the address functioned primarily as a political platform rather than a religious observance, maintaining that the former Chief Minister referenced "Danga" (riots) with greater frequency than the festival itself.

"'Hum 'Ganda Dharm' ko nahi manta hai'. - Mamata Banerjee Kaun sa Dharm ganda hai, Ms Mamata Banerjee? Appeasing the Muslim Community at the Red Road with your almost incomprehensible gibberish Urdu dialect, you made a statement that you don't follow the 'Ganda Dharm' or 'Dirty Religion'," the social media publication read. "Which religion were you specifically referring to? Sanatan Hindu Dharma? What kind of provocative speech did you deliver at the Red Road on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr? You uttered the words 'Danga' & Riots more than you repeated the word Eid. Was it a religious event or a political programme? Why were you deliberately mongering hate with the deliberate intention of creating animosity between communities? Ms. Mamata Banerjee, you are the one who weaponizes religion. It will boomerang on you very soon."

With inputs from ANI