Mamata Banerjee’s Lies Exposed: Anti-Hindu Riots in Bengal Were Incited by Local Radical Clerics, Not ‘Outsiders’

In yet another shocking revelation that exposes the dangerous mix of appeasement politics and radicalisation in West Bengal, as per reports the recent anti-Hindu riots in Murshidabad and other parts of the state were not led by “outsiders” as claimed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee—but by radicalised local Muslim clerics and mobs.

According to officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) who spoke to Swarajya, there was a complete breakdown of state-level intelligence. Neither the state police nor the intelligence agencies had any clue about the growing anger among local Muslims—an anger fuelled by dangerous misinformation and inflammatory sermons targeting Hindus and the Union Government.

Mamata’s False Narrative Collapses

In a desperate attempt to shield her failed administration, Mamata Banerjee publicly alleged that the riots were instigated by outsiders, blaming even Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Border Security Force (BSF) for the violence. She went so far as to claim in an open letter that infiltrators from Bangladesh were involved.

But central intelligence agencies, backed by initial reports from the state police itself, have completely debunked these lies. The findings clearly establish that the violence was incited by local radical Muslim clerics who spread falsehoods about the Waqf Amendment Act.

A Calculated Campaign of Hatred and Deceit

These clerics, many of them Deobandi hardliners educated in Darul Uloom Deoband began their provocative campaign against the Waqf amendments as early as the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) discussions. They falsely told their congregations that the amendments would confiscate mosques, idgahs, graveyards, and even personal property of Muslims.

One senior IB official told Swarajya that the clerics warned the Muslim community that “Hazarduari Palace would be turned into a pork-serving hotel,” and that other monuments would be demolished to make way for temples. These outrageous lies were designed to provoke maximum outrage and they succeeded.

The same lies were repeated in madrassas, with young Muslim students being told that the Waqf Bill would destroy Islam in India. The inclusion of non-Muslims in Waqf boards was cited as an “existential threat,” and clerics warned that this was only the beginning of a wider assault that included NRC and the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Gullible and ill-informed Muslims were told that NRC would turn them into stateless people, strip them of their voting rights, and jail their children. According to IB transcripts reviewed by Swarajya, some clerics even equated Hindus with the BJP, openly advocating attacks on Hindus to “send a message.”

Mamata’s Complicity

Far from diffusing the tensions, Mamata Banerjee’s own rhetoric fanned the flames. For months, she echoed the same claims made by the radical clerics that the Waqf Bill would strip Muslims of their rights and allow the BJP to seize their properties.

According to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, quoted by Swarajya, Mamata’s “false propaganda” was a deliberate move to strengthen her grip over Muslim votes by posturing as a protector of Islam. In doing so, she lent legitimacy to the clerics’ misinformation and gave official sanction to the paranoia being brewed in mosques and madrassas.

Muslim MLAs and Trinamool leaders amplified this message further, escalating fear and anger among the community, and ultimately helping create the conditions for the riots.

Total Failure of State Intelligence

IB officials were scathing in their assessment of the state’s intelligence apparatus. The local police and intelligence agencies were caught completely off guard. No effort was made to monitor inflammatory sermons, social media incitement, or the brewing discontent.

One senior IB officer told Swarajya, “The violence took the police by surprise. But it shouldn’t have. There were enough warning signs.”

According to a retired IPS officer interviewed by Swarajya, the rot goes deep—right down to the thana level. Police officers on the ground avoid gathering intel from the Muslim community, fearing backlash from Trinamool leaders. Even when they have actionable intelligence, they keep silent to avoid transfers and punishments.

Mamata Banerjee, the officer added, has created an ecosystem where the state relies more on party loyalists within the Muslim community than trained intelligence operatives. This has led to a complete vacuum in real-time surveillance and risk mitigation.

Dangerous Radicalisation Already in Place

The situation is far more serious than just administrative failure. Intelligence reports over the last decade have repeatedly warned of the increasing radicalisation in Bengal especially in districts bordering Bangladesh like Malda, Murshidabad, and the 24 Parganas.

According to Swarajya, a large number of Islamist radicals from Bangladesh, escaping Sheikh Hasina’s crackdown, have settled in Bengal over the years and actively preach jihadist ideology. These individuals have succeeded in brainwashing thousands of Muslim youth, planting seeds of hatred against non-Muslims.

IB officers say that mobile phones and laptops seized in riot-hit areas show clear evidence of indoctrination by hardline Islamic preachers, both online and offline.

No Need for ‘Outsiders’ The Threat Is Within

In perhaps the most damning conclusion of all, one senior IB officer told Swarajya, “There are enough radical Islamists stewing in hatred within Bengal itself. There is no need for trouble-makers from Bangladesh or other states.”

This statement demolishes Mamata Banerjee’s desperate defence of blaming “outsiders” for the riots. The real problem lies within Bengal radicalisation, political appeasement, and a state machinery too scared or too complicit to act.

The Murshidabad riots were not a spontaneous outburst nor a cross-border conspiracy. They were a well-orchestrated campaign of hate, built on lies and sustained by political cowardice. Mamata Banerjee’s attempts to shift the blame only highlight her own culpability. The threat to Bengal’s peace doesn’t lie in some foreign land it festers within its own borders, empowered by a toxic blend of religious radicalism and political appeasement.