'People are scared': TMC MP Sougata Roy hits out at BJP over 'forceful' action on Kolkata Airport's Bankra Mosque

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using high-handed tactics to force the shrine's relocation under the guise of security, Roy demanded that any administrative decision must be taken only after taking the local minority community into confidence.

"Something must be done about the mosque with the consent of the Muslim community there," Roy told ANI. "But these people (BJP) are doing this forcefully. I am against it... People there are scared."

On CM Suvendu Adhikari's statement that the move was being made from a security standpoint, Roy rejected the claim.

"No, it's not for passenger safety; they want to extend the runway. Yes. It has nothing to do with passenger safety. Others didn't touch it because it is linked to people's religious faith. That area falls under my constituency. I have always been against removing it like this. I've always said that if a change is made after consulting with the Muslims there, it might be acceptable; otherwise, it shouldn't be done. What Suvendu Adhikari or the BJP government is doing is forced," he said.

Asked if there could be protests by residents, the MP said, "Yes, that is possible."People are scared. My appeal is to resolve this by talking to the people there," Roy added.

The mosque, believed to be more than 130 years old and older than the airport itself, is located around 165 metres from the airport's secondary runway. Aviation authorities have maintained that its presence restricts runway expansion, affects flight operations and delays the installation of advanced Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) required for aircraft operations during periods of dense winter fog.

The political showdown has intensified with the BJP backing the restrictions. Local BJP leaders have argued that the century-old mosque, located inside the airport boundary wall, severely restricts the expansion and full operational capacity of the secondary runway, presenting a long-standing threat to aviation safety.

While the BJP maintains that the relocation is a necessary developmental move free from "appeasement politics," TMC representatives and minority bodies contend that arbitrary shutdowns violate local faith and demand a mutually acceptable solution over unilateral enforcement.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said the relocation would help address long-standing concerns related to airport expansion and security.

"Ever since I was a student, I used to read in the newspaper that due to a mosque at Kolkata airport, the runway cannot be constructed and no previous government interfered due to appeasement politics..Now that our government is in power, we don't believe in appeasement politics. Mosque will be relocated...," he said.

Majumdar said the mosque located near the runway at Kolkata airport will be relocated, accusing previous governments of inaction due to "appeasement politics".

Majumdar said there was no justification for the mosque's location within the airport's operational area and claimed that prayers at the site have already been stopped.

"There was no justification for the mosque being located where it was. It had been deliberately allowed to remain within the runway area. Prayers have now been stopped there as well. I believe they will vacate the site so that the runway extension work can proceed smoothly," he told reporters.

BJP leader Keya Ghosh on Monday said the government has decided to shift the Bankra mosque near Kolkata airport, citing passenger safety concerns.

"Those who take a flight from Kolkata can see that an ordinary person can also perform namaz very near the airport, which means passenger safety is nil. In view of this, our government has decided to shift the mosque, and even the Imams here agree to this," she told ANI.

BJP-led West Bengal government on Saturday decided to remove the century-old Bankra Mosque located inside the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata outside the premises of the airport due to security concerns. (ANI)