Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) has crossed a line never thought possible in Bengal’s political history. At Chanchal College in Malda, student leaders of the TMCP torched effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah but in their frensied theatrics, they also set fire to a portrait of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Bengal’s greatest cultural icon, Nobel laureate, and the very man who gave India its national anthem.
The act, carried out on August 26, but was revealed on September 7, through video footage posted online, has unleashed a storm of outrage. From BJP leaders to ordinary citizens, condemnation has poured in, calling the act not just political vandalism but an unforgivable assault on the cultural and civilisational soul of Bengal.
The TMCP protest was part of Mamata Banerjee’s orchestrated “language agitation” against BJP-ruled states, where her government alleges that Bengali-speaking people face harassment. A stage was even set up at Kolkata’s Dharmatala for this campaign, inaugurated with much fanfare under Mamata’s own watch.
At Chanchal College, the TMCP sought to replicate this “language movement.” Students marched with portraits of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore, shouting slogans against the BJP and vowing to “lock every BJP office in the state” once their leadership gave the green signal.
But the agitation spiraled into something darker. In the middle of the protest, TMCP leaders and activists began burning effigies of Modi and Shah. And in a moment that has now become a stain on Bengal’s political memory, they set ablaze the very portrait of Tagore they had carried as a symbol of “Bengali pride.”
This was no accident, no mere misstep. It was the inevitable result of a culture of violence, arrogance, and intellectual hollowness fostered under Mamata Banerjee’s reign. The BJP has come down heavily, calling this a moment of reckoning for Bengal.
BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya declared, “Under Mamata Banerjee’s patronage, TMCP goons led by Chanchal College president A.B. Soyel have set ablaze Bengal’s very soul. They have insulted our Rabindranath Tagore alongside effigies of India’s Prime Minister and Home Minister. Is this Bengali pride? This isn’t protest — this is cultural treachery.”
Under Mamata Banerjee’s patronage, TMCP goons led by Chanchal College (Malda) president A.B. Soyel have today set ablaze Bengal’s very soul, our Rabindranath Tagore, along with effigies of India’s Prime Minister and Home Minister.
Is this what they call Bengali pride? This isn’t… pic.twitter.com/OjIHFIAqpT
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 7, 2025
BJP Suvendu Adhikari wrote on X, “Members of TMCP have burnt the portrait of the world-renowned poet and pride of Bengal. While Mamata tries to fool people with her language drama, her student wing is busy desecrating Bengal’s greatest figure. This is the real face of Trinamool — a disgraceful betrayal of Bengal’s soul.”
তৃণমূল ছাত্র পরিষদের চাঁচল কলেজ ইউনিট এর সদস্যরা বিশ্ববরেণ্য কবি তথা বাংলা বাঙালি ও সারা ভারতবর্ষের গর্ব বিশ্বকবি রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুরের ছবি পুড়িয়ে প্রতিবাদ যানাচ্ছে !!!
তৃণমূল কংগ্রেস এক রাশ লজ্জা ! ছিঃপরিযায়ী শ্রমিকদের উপর অত্যাচারের মিথ্যে অভিযোগ তুলে এবং কলকাতায় তৃণমূলের… pic.twitter.com/LWUvFT3kNm
— Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) September 7, 2025
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar echoed the outrage, “Such a heinous act shows the barbarity unleashed by Mamata Banerjee’s politics. Burning Tagore’s portrait is not protest — it is treachery. Those who dare such acts insult Bengal itself. The administration must bring these criminals to justice.”
অশিক্ষা, বর্বরতা ও ঔদ্ধত্য কোন চরম সীমায় পৌঁছালে এমন ন্যক্কারজনক ঘটনা ঘটতে পারে!
মালদহের চাঁচল কলেজ প্রাঙ্গণে এক টিএমসিপি নেতা প্রকাশ্যে বিশ্বকবি রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুরের ছবি আগুনে পুড়িয়ে দেওয়ার অপচেষ্টা চালিয়েছে এ দৃশ্য শুধু গোটা বাঙালি সমাজকে মর্মাহতই করে না, বরং মাথা নত করে… pic.twitter.com/2Xy2JsJgWn
— Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (@DrSukantaBJP) September 7, 2025
BJP’s Dilip Ghosh linked the act to a broader pattern of cultural destruction, “They broke Vidyasagar’s statue, now they burn Tagore’s portrait. These people have no connection with Bengal’s literary or cultural heritage. They want money, power, corruption nothing more. Under TMC, Bengal is being defamed daily.”
What makes this incident even more grotesque is the hypocrisy it exposes. Mamata Banerjee claims to be the defender of Bengali culture and language. Her government organises events in Tagore’s name, her speeches are laced with invocations of “Bangla maa,” and she paints herself as the custodian of Bengal’s pride.
But the reality is different. Under her watch, her party has consistently unleashed violence on Bengal’s culture itself:
- In 2019, TMC leaders and goons vandalised the statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar during the Lok Sabha campaign, sparking outrage across the country.
- In 2025, her student wing has now burnt the portrait of Rabindranath Tagore, the very man who gave India its cultural immortality through his words.
Each time, Mamata’s party first denies, then downplays, and finally offers vague promises of “disciplinary action” never real accountability.
The Malda district president of TMCP followed the same script this time, “I don’t think anyone would intentionally do this. Still, whether intentional or unintentional, this incident is never desirable. If proven, disciplinary action will be taken.” But for Bengal, this is no minor issue. It is the culmination of years of cultural vandalism under Mamata’s appeasement-driven, power-obsessed politics.
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