The proposed construction of Babri masjid in Beldanga, Murshidabad, initiated by suspended Trinamool leader Humayun Kabir, has triggered an extraordinary surge of donations since the MLA made his announcement on December 6.

Offline collections alone have touched nearly ₹38 lakh so far. Online contributions have surpassed ₹2 crore.

Contributions continue to pour into the designated bank account through UPI-based QR codes widely circulated on social media even before December 6. “Online contributions through QR codes and online transactions reached ₹2.37 crore till Monday evening,” Kabir told The Telegraph.

The donation boxes placed at the venue of the proposed mosque at Beldanga were found overflowing. Cash-counting machines have been running since Sunday.

By Monday evening, ₹37.33 lakh in cash had been counted from six of the 11 donation boxes and one sack. Counting resumed at 5pm on Monday, when the remaining five boxes and the sack were opened, said a source close to Kabir.

The magnitude and spontaneity of donations for the masjid have surprised many social activists, who struggle to raise funds for non-religious causes such as medical treatment for the poor, relief during natural calamities or support for education.

“Except for a few, most people refuse to make donations to serious causes. But they donate freely to build temples or mosques or even for a religious function,” said a Nadia-based youth, who recently undertook a crowdfunding initiative to raise around ₹16 crore for the medical treatment of a girl suffering from spinal muscular atrophy.

“The way people are donating money for the proposed Babri mosque can well be termed a mass obsession,” he said.

The scenes at Beldanga on December 6, the day Kabir cut the ribbon for the ceremonial launch, reflected this spontaneous urge to donate.

A large crowd jostled to put cash inside the large stainless-steel boxes carried by volunteers.

Within hours, all 12 boxes were filled, particularly after Kabir announced that the day’s deposit limit for the designated bank (SBI) account had been exhausted.

People were seen flinging currency notes towards the boxes. Many missed the target but continued throwing notes in an attempt to ensure their contribution landed in the boxes.

On Sunday night, Kabir engaged 30 teachers from local madrasas to begin counting the cash deposited in the boxes. The process took place at his Behrampur residence, where the counting machines ran under CCTV surveillance, with the entire exercise streamed live on social media to maintain transparency.

Kabir said the public response had “exceeded all expectations,” claiming that donations had also come from outside India.

“People donated benevolently. It is our responsibility to use that money properly,” Kabir told The Telegraph. He dismissed rumours of foreign currency deposits being found inside counting boxes as “baseless propaganda”.

Death threat

The political heat over Kabir’s decision to build a Babri Masjid took a murkier turn when the Beldanga MLA said he received a death threat on Sunday night. Although he has not lodged a complaint with police till Monday evening, his trust has arranged armed private security personnel to guard him round the clock from Tuesday. At present, as part of the state government’s security cover, three policemen protect the MLA.

Kabir said he would move Calcutta High Court seeking central forces, similar to the security arrangement in force for ISF leader Nawsad Siddiqui.

Sources added that Kabir is slated to visit Delhi within two days to meet several political leaders, including AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi.

Another Humayun

In a rather humorous case of mistaken identity, Trinamool’s Debra MLA Humayun Kabir, the former IPS officer, has been inundated with phone calls from people ready to donate for the neo-Babri Masjid.

The Debra MLA’s phone has been ringing nearly non-stop for days, and as he is in the habit of responding to calls from unknown numbers, he has had to tell countless people that he cannot provide the bank details or the QR code for donations to the Masjid cause.

“In two days, I have received about 200 calls from people who have contacted me looking for the other Humayun Kabir. I told them all to find the number of the Bharatpur MLA and call him instead,” said the former IPS officer, who admitted to a sense of resentment among Muslims over the decisions regarding waqf and the issue of OBC reservation.