The Indian Secular Front (ISF), the only party besides the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP with representation in the West Bengal Assembly, held its fifth foundation day rally in Kolkata. Notably, the event took place without the participation of its founder, Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui, or its chairman, Pirzada Nawsad Siddiqui.
While Abbas seems to have distanced himself from active politics and party matters, Nawsad, the ISF’s sole MLA, was barred by the Calcutta High Court from attending the rally. Despite his absence, the Bhangar legislator addressed attendees at the Sahid Minar ground through a telephonic speech.
After the police denied permission for the event, citing past disruptions to law and order during a 2023 meeting in the same area, the ISF approached the Calcutta High Court. The police had previously registered multiple FIRs against 19 individuals, including Nawsad, for their alleged involvement in the 2023 incident.
The Calcutta High Court overturned the police’s decision, granting the ISF conditional permission to hold the rally. The court set specific restrictions, including restricting Nawsad’s attendance, limiting the event's duration from 12 pm to 4:30 pm, and capping the maximum crowd size at 3,000 people.
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In his speech, the 31-year-old leader sharply criticised both the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP for ignoring the struggles of Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, and other marginalised communities.
“Suvendu Adhikari and Sukanta Majumdar consistently make anti-Muslim remarks without facing any restrictions from the state government. Meanwhile, I am obstructed at every step because I strive to bring people together,” said Nawsad, a descendant of Mohammad Abu Bakr Siddique, Islamic scholar and first Pir of Furfura Sharif.
He also accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of remaining silent on allegations branding the state’s Madrasas as hubs of terrorist activity. Nawsad asserted that, as the state’s guardian, she has a duty to safeguard Madrasas.
Additionally, he called on the state government to clarify the source of funds used to pay allowances to imams and muezzins. He alleged that an RTI inquiry revealed the annual income of the West Bengal Auqaf Board to be less than Rs 1 crore.
“How can the Auqaf Board then disburse Rs 150 crore in allowances to over 43,000 imams and muezzins?” he questioned.