‘Chop them up, bury underground’: Mithun Chakraborty reacts to TMC leader Hymayun Kabir’s religious threat

BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty—a Bollywood actor-turned-politician—on Sunday further heated up the already charged political atmosphere in West Bengal by responding with a message of violence against a statement made by TMC leader Humayun Kabir before the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Referring to a pre-Lok Sabha election comment by the Trinamool’s Humayun Kabir, in which he threatened the rival party workers on religious grounds and was reprimanded by the Election Commission, Chakraborty called on the saffron party workers to “chop them up and bury them underground.”

“A leader says there are 70 per cent Muslims and 30 per cent Hindus (and) that he will ‘cut’ and throw them in the Bhagirathi… I thought the Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) would say something. She didn’t.. so now I am saying, we will chop them (up) and bury them in the ground..” NDTV quoted Chakraborty as saying.

“I am not the Chief Minister… but I am saying this,” the BJP leader said days before the by-polls for six Assembly seats next month, “We will do anything to win the masnad (throne) of Bengal… it will belong to the BJP after the 2026 Assembly election.”

The Bollywood actor was speaking at an event inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to launch the BJP membership drive in West Bengal.

“I am saying it again and again… we will do anything (to win the 2026 election) anything. I am saying this with Home Minister Amit Shahji sitting here – we will do anything,” Chakraborty said.

“I say we will cut you up and throw you, not in the Bhagirathi because that is our mother, but we will throw you in the ground,” the Bollywood actor added.

Chakraborty accused the Bengal state government of not allowing the Hindu community to cast votes.

Mithun’s inciting statement followed similar inflammatory remarks by TMC leader Humayun Kabin who had threatened the Hindu community living in the state while campaigning for a party candidate Murshidabad in May 2024, days before the Lok Sabha polls.

The TMC leader reportedly said at a rally, “You are 30 per cent (of the people here) but we are 70 per cent… if you think you can demolish mosques and Muslims will sit back and relax… (you are wrong). I will leave politics if I don’t drown you people in the Bhagirathi…”