'Sing Secular or Else’: Lagnajita concert clash adds to growing attacks on Hindu expression in Bengal

Chakraborty’s complaint — that she was abused and nearly assaulted for refusing to stop singing a devotional song and instead perform what was demanded as a “secular” number — is being seen by critics as more than an isolated episode. While the accused has been arrested, it has come against the backdrop of controversies involving Saraswati Puja celebrations, religious processions and violent anti-Hindu communal flare-ups in different parts of the state.

West Bengal, governed by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress for the past 14 years, has witnessed repeated flashpoints in 2025 where Hindu rituals, symbols and cultural events have found themselves at the centre of disputes, court interventions and political sparring.

Opposition leaders and a section of civil society voices allege a pattern of appeasement and delayed law enforcement by the Mamata government, charges the ruling party has rejected in the past.

Concert clash raises alarm

Amid a rise in gruesome attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, the East Midnapore concert incident, now under police investigation following the arrest of the accused, has reignited the debate — not just over artistic freedom — but over whether public displays of Hindu devotion are increasingly being challenged or curtailed in the name of “secularism” in the state.

In a written complaint to the police, the singer said the accused, Mehboob Mallik, used abusive language and attempted to physically attack her while she was performing at a programme held at a private school in Bhagwanpur. She claimed Mallik is a member of the school’s governing body.

The singer, who rose to prominence with the popular Bengali track Basanto Eshe Geche, said she was singing the devotional song ‘Jago Maa’ when the accused allegedly climbed onto the stage.

“He came up on the stage and tried to physically assault me. He wanted to beat me up,” Chakraborty said.

According to her complaint, Mallik shouted at her, saying, “Onek Jago Maa hoyeche, ebar kichu secular gaa” (Enough of Jago Maa, now sing some secular song).

Chakraborty further alleged that the officer-in-charge of Bhagwanpur police station initially refused to register her complaint. Following intervention by senior officials, a case was subsequently registered and the accused arrested.

Senior police officials told NDTV that action would also be taken against the concerned police officers for alleged negligence in handling the complaint.

Rising flashpoints against Hindus

The incident has triggered a political row in the state, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleging that the accused has links to the ruling TMC.

“West Bengal is in the hands of jihadis. They are directing a singer on which song she should sing. This reflects an anti-Hindu mindset,” BJP leader Shankudeb Panda alleged.

The BJP also claimed that police initially failed to act due to political pressure. The Trinamool Congress has not responded to the allegations so far.

Reacting to the development, Bengali writer Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay wrote on Facebook: "You won't be able to sing 'Jago Ma' (Awaken, Mother). You won't be able to perform Saraswati Puja.Christmas Markets are closed in Europe because they don't like them.The Christmas tree must be called a Holiday tree. (A historian like) Romila Thapar will say that Hindus suffer from an inferiority complex. But it seems the whole world is suffering from an inferiority complex. 

If you can't be this religiously fanatical and extremist, you're bound to have an inferiority complex. No underground tunnels, no missiles, no AK47s, no suicide bomber soldiers, no 52 states - of course, there will be an inferiority complex. All you have is tolerance."

"Go ahead, keep increasing your level of tolerance. Because you weren't allowed to become secular by reading the doctrines and doing comparative studies. You have been made an ignorant secularist. You are the Gucci of the Bangkok sidewalks," she said. 

Her remarks sparked intense debate on social media, with supporters echoing concerns over shrinking space for public expressions of faith, while critics accused her of using inflammatory language.

Earlier this year, Saraswati Puja celebrations at Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College in Kolkata were conducted under police surveillance following a directive of the Calcutta High Court. The court intervened after students petitioned that “outsiders” were attempting to prevent the organisation of the puja.

Some students alleged that Mohammad Shabbir Ali, whom they described as an outsider, had been harassing them since 2022 and threatening to disrupt the celebrations, according to a report in The Telegraph.

Murshidabad Violence

Earlier this year, communal tensions escalated sharply in Murshidabad district during protests against the Centre’s Waqf (Amendment) Act, triggering one of the worst bouts of violence in the region in recent years. According to police and local administrative accounts, protests that began as demonstrations by sections of the Muslim community opposing the legislation soon spiralled into targeted attacks in mixed-population areas.

Local reports and eyewitness accounts alleged that mobs comprising Islamist protesters and local Muslim youths went on the rampage in parts of Shamsherganj and Dhulian, vandalising homes, setting fire to properties and forcing Hindu residents to flee. The violence reportedly led to the deaths of three people and the displacement of hundreds of Hindu families, many of whom said they were attacked because of their religious identity.

Several families were seen fleeing violence-hit areas by boat and road to neighbouring Malda district, with widely circulated video footage showing women, children and elderly people crossing rivers from Dhulian Ferry Ghat in a desperate bid to reach safety. Relief camps had to be set up as fear gripped entire localities overnight.

Protesters against Waqf Act clashed with police in Murshidabad in April 2025. File Photo: Videograb/Rupak De Chowdhuri/IBNS

Among the most brutal incidents was the killing of a father and son in the Jafrabad area of Shamsherganj, who were allegedly hacked to death by a mob, according to local media reports. Residents claimed that pleas for timely police intervention went unanswered as violence spread, allegations that have intensified scrutiny of law enforcement response in communally sensitive districts of the state.