A fresh political controversy has erupted in West Bengal after an FIR was registered against TMC chief and former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, for her statement regarding Sanatan Dharma. The case was filed after a complaint claimed that Mamta Banerjee had called Sanatan Dharma “ganda dharma” during the celebration of Eid in Kolkata last year, which, according to the complainant, hurt the religious feelings of Hindus.
This FIR has been filed at the Siliguri Cyber Crime Police Station on 20th May, 2026, by advocate Rinki Chattopadhyay Singh.
The complaint mentions that one of the comments was made during a religious meeting in the year 2025. The other comment mentioned was made by Mamata Banerjee in a protest meeting held in Dharmatala before the West Bengal Assembly Elections.
As per the complainant, Mamata Banerjee had made statements indicating that a specific community could “finish off” others within five minutes if they wanted. She said such remarks were not expected from a person holding a constitutional post and claimed they could create fear among voters and increase social divisions during a sensitive political period.
Speaking at an event in Kolkata’s Red Road, Mamata Banerjee had alleged that Hinduism promoted by the BJP is “Ganda Dharma” or “filthy religion.” She had said, “I believe in the religion of Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Swami Vivekananda, not the ‘ganda dharma’ that this ‘jumla’ party has made. I don’t believe in that dharm. It is against Hindu ‘dharma’.”
Lawyer says police first refused to register the complaint
Rinki Chattopadhyay Singh claimed that getting the FIR registered was not easy and that the cyber police station initially did not accept her complaint.
She said that when Mamata Banerjee attended Eid prayers at Red Road wearing a hijab, she later made remarks describing Hinduism as a “dirty religion”. The lawyer said she faced both physical and mental harassment when she first approached the cyber branch and that her complaint remained pending for several days before being accepted.
She further said that as a Hindu and an activist, she felt unsafe and feared attacks. According to her, freedom of speech has limits, and such statements should not cross those boundaries.
FIR registered under multiple BNS sections
The Police have registered the case against the remarks under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 351 (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult aimed at provoking breach of peace), 353 (circulation of false statements), 354 (intimidation by creating belief in divine displeasure), 356 (criminal defamation) and Section 299 dealing with deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
According to the complaint, the remarks could disturb communal harmony and create tension between communities.
A senior officer of the Siliguri Police Commissionerate confirmed that the complaint had been received and a case was registered as per procedure. Police said the matter is under investigation and all points mentioned in the FIR are being examined.
