Show-cause notice to Humayun Kabir’s wife over Beldanga land use change, political storm erupts

Political tensions have escalated in West Bengal after the state’s Land and Land Reforms Department issued a show-cause notice to Meera Sultana, wife of suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir, over an alleged unauthorized change in land classification in Murshidabad district. The notice pertains to 0.2 acres of land in the Beldanga area, where the department claims the nature and use of the land were altered without prior approval from the competent authority.

According to the notice, the alleged change violates Section 4C of the West Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955, which mandates that a raiyat must obtain prior permission from the Collector before converting agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes. The department stated that the action was initiated following a collective petition and that the prescribed legal procedure was not followed in altering the land classification.

Sultana has been asked to respond within seven days and explain why proceedings should not be initiated against her under Section 4D of the Act. The department maintains that the land conversion was carried out without due authorization and requires clarification.

The issue has drawn further attention amid reports that construction for a proposed Babri Masjid in Beldanga has begun on the said land. The mosque is reportedly planned along the lines of the structure demolished in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, and has been described as a “dream project” of Humayun Kabir, who earlier represented the Bharatpur Assembly constituency.

Kabir has questioned the timing of the notice, alleging that it was issued long after construction activities had commenced. He claimed he had attempted to complete the mutation process but was told it was unnecessary, and alleged political vendetta following his exit from the Trinamool Congress. While opposition voices termed the move an administrative step to enforce the law, Kabir’s supporters described it as retaliatory action, triggering fresh political exchanges.