Case against Mamata Banerjee over 2025 'Ganda Dharm' remark
A police complaint has been lodged by a lawyer in Siliguri, who has alleged that Mamata Banerjee, during her stint as West Bengal's CM, made derogatory remarks against Hindus and Hinduism at an Eid celebration in Kolkata last year.
A case has been registered against Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal's Siliguri following a complaint by a lawyer, who has alleged that the erstwhile chief minister hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus by making derogatory remarks against Hinduism while attending an Eid celebration in Kolkata last year.
The police have invoked Sections 351 (1) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult with the intent to provoke breach of peace), 353 (promoting feeling of enmity, hatred or ill will between communities) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Mamata in the case.
The complainant, Rinki Chatterjee, has referenced the then-West Bengal CM's speech at an Eid event that was organised on Kolkata's iconic Red Road in 2025.
While targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the stage, Mamata had purportedly said, "I do not subscribe to that filthy religion — a religion that this 'Jumla Party' has deliberately fabricated." She characterised the version of Hinduism espoused by the BJP as "Ganda Dharm," or "filthy religion."
Chatterjee has alleged that Mamata’s comment labelled Sanatan Dharma as "filthy" and offended Hindus across India and the rest of the world. The lawyer further said in her complaint that the remark, made from the stage of a Muslim religious congregation, was "absolutely unacceptable."
She said she is hopeful that appropriate legal action will be taken.
The reported statement by Mamata had triggered sharp reactions last year from the state BJP leadership, including from now-CM Suvendu Adhikari and other prominent figures, who had voiced strong objections.
Chatterjee's complaint and the resulting FIR mark the first direct legal step in connection with the matter.
In her complaint, she has also claimed that multiple senior leaders of the TMC, including ministers in the earlier government, have targeted Hinduism in recent years. She described the purported "Ganda Dharm" remark by Mamata as the most serious of those instances.
Chatterjee has also alleged that Mamata made an indirect threat to the Hindu community during the campaign period of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls.
"Such remarks allegedly created fear among members of the Hindu community and promoted social unrest, religious provocation, and communal disharmony with the intention of influencing voters through fear and intimidation," she said in her complaint, referring to a specific instance.
Asked about his reaction to the police complaint, Atri Sharma, who is a lawyer and the general secretary of the TMC's Darjeeling unit, refrained from making any comment in his capacity as his party's spokesperson.
He, however, said that many within the TMC were opposed to the concerned remarks even when it was in power.
"It was indeed inappropriate for her to make such remarks while holding the reins of power at that time. Even those of us who have remained loyal to the party since that period did not endorse those particular comments. Everyone possesses the moral right to lodge a complaint," Sharma stated.