Defiling of Maulana Azad's statue symbolizes the fall of composite Indian ethos

By Firoz Bakht Ahmed*

What a sad state of affairs in West Bengal, 24-Parganas, Kankinara that a statue of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India’s first Union education minister, was knocked down by miscreants during clashes that broke out in many parts of West Bengal during Ram Navami processions! The bust of Bharat Ratna, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, was razed in Kakinara which has seen a spree of violence since Sunday. The vandalism of Azad’s statue was caught on camera and the video of the incident is going viral on social media.
Strangely, there has been no coverage by the national media on this tragic mishap. Azad was the symbol of interfaith bond between Hindus and Muslims and has been revered most owing to his contribution to interfaith harmony. All those who had indulged in this must be brought to books. More dangerous that the act itself is the increasing fascist tendency that is trying to divide Hindus and Muslims who have always gelled well as sugar and milk since time immemorial.
The number of casualties, according to Wasim-ul-Haq, editor, “Akhbar-e-Mashriq” Urdu daily from Kolkata, after violence during the Ram Navami procession in West Bengal has increased to 3. While on Sunday, one person died in Purulia, and one in Kakinara, another individual passed away after clashes in Raniganj on Monday.
“Ramnavami is a lovely festival and conveys the message of harmony and peace. It is a matter of concern that instead of handing pens and computers in the hands of the youth, some right wing elements are encouraging them to brandish swords, guns and other dangerous weapons in the name of religion and cultural ethos,” states Atyab Siddiqui, eminent thinker sand lawyer.
Ahmed Saeed Mailhabadi, editor of the erstwhile Urdu daily, “Azad Hind” confirmed the desecration of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s statue. “It is sad that statues are being attacked to pave way for the dangerous ghettoized mindset. India is a great nation where all the communities support each other in all walks of life,” said Malihabadi.
“The defiling of Azad statue symbolizes the fall of composite Indian ethos and the sacrifice of the centuries old tradition of inter and intra cultural harmony. Instead of condemning, I invite the Indian conscience to ponder over,” states Imam Umair Ahmed Ilyasi, the Chief Imam of India.
According to Khwaja Iftekhar Ahmed, chairman, Interfaith Harmony Foundation of India, secularism and rationalism go hand in hand. With the increasing Hindu radicalization, the rationale of Indian state has come at stake. Sometimes, for, very short term gains, radicalists adopt a course of disaster which initially appears as an apparent victory but the crisis that it leaves behind, may generate unresolvable controversies for centuries. The world has paid enough in the name of Muslim radicalism. I wish, Hindu brothers read in between the lines and jointly stand up to meet the challenge.
Even the Sangh spokesperson and hardliner, Subramaniam Swamy tweeted that this was an imprudent act of some Right Wing Supporters which was unacceptable.
According to senior BJP leader, Vijay Goel, Maulana azad was not only this country’s most articulate votary of Hindu-Muslim unity but also the only one erudite aalim (Islamic scholar) who claimed Quranic sanction for his faith in unity and the freedom of the nation.
Mahua Moitra, the Trinamul Congress spokesperson stated that the Sangh affiliates defied the state government orders to brandish weapons in a festive activity in the name of religion. In spite of the fact that the Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee directed the director general of police (DGP) to instruct all the superintendents of police (SPs) to take strong action against those who carried arms in the rallies, the miscreants brandished sharp weapons and indulged in arson and violence, told Mahua.
Sometime ago, political controversy erupted after the CPI-M accused the BJP of attacking its offices in Tripura and bringing down Lenin statues after winning assembly polls in the state.
Unfortunately, the incidents of statue vandalism in Tripura triggered a wave of similar actions across the country in its immediate aftermath. Statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr BR Ambedkar, and Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee were also targeted.
---
*Commentator on social, educational and political issues, community worker and grandnephew of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Comments

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

What Epstein Files reveal about power, privilege and a system that protects abuse

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* The Jeffrey Epstein scandal is not merely the story of an individual offender or an isolated circle of accomplices. The material emerging from the Epstein files points to structural conditions that allow abuse to flourish when combined with power, privilege and wealth. Rather than a personal aberration, the case illustrates how systems can create environments in which exploitation becomes easier to conceal and harder to challenge.

Green capitalism? One-billion people in the Global South face climate hazards

By Cade Dunbar On Friday, 17 October 2025, the UN Development Programme released the 2025 edition of its Multidimensional Poverty Index Report . For the first time, the report directly evaluates their multidimensional poverty data against climate hazards, exposing the extent to which the world’s poor are threatened by the environmental crisis. According to the UNDP, approximately 887 million out of the 1.1 billion people living in multidimensional poverty are exposed to climate hazards such as extreme heat, flooding, drought, and air pollution.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Electoral Integrity Forum seeks immediate halt to SIR 2.0, calls for mandatory social audit

By A Representative The Forum for Electoral Integrity has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to immediately pause the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2.0 of electoral rolls, warning that the exercise is generating widespread distress and may result in unlawful exclusion of valid voters. In a memorandum dated November 20, 2025, addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, M.G. Devasahayam, Convener of the Forum for Electoral Integrity and Coordinator of the Citizens’ Commission on Elections, called the process legally unsound, administratively disruptive, and constitutionally problematic.

Search This Blog