West Bengal Govt scraps public holiday for a Hindu festival to add extra holiday for a Muslim festival, withdraws order after backlash
Kolkata, West Bengal, India 
24 February, 2025
Case Summary
On Wednesday, 26th February, BJP IT Cell Head Amit Malviya strongly criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim for cancelling the Vishwakarma Puja holiday in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) schools while extending the Eid holiday. This move sparked outrage, highlighting the state government’s blatant discrimination against Hindus and their festivals in favour of appeasing the Muslim community. Following massive backlash, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation was forced to reverse its decision. Taking to X, Amit Malviya called West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s administration an “Islamic Caliphate,” pointing out how her government had earlier altered the OBC sub-quota to include Muslims, thereby depriving rightful OBC beneficiaries of their reservations. Now, in yet another instance of anti-Hindu bias, the TMC government attempted to scrap the Vishwakarma Puja holiday—an occasion of great importance, especially for the OBC community—while granting an additional holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr. Malviya condemned this move as a desperate attempt to hold on to Mamata Banerjee’s Muslim vote bank, warning that her policies were eroding the social fabric of Bengal. He emphasised that while the Chief Minister continues to pander to Muslims through extended holidays, the real need of the community is education and employment, not an extra day off. Moreover, by cancelling a Hindu festival’s holiday, the TMC government was not only undermining Hindu traditions but also furthering its pattern of anti-Hindu governance. The controversy triggered widespread anger, with critics accusing the TMC of religious bias and deliberate suppression of Hindu cultural and religious identity. As the backlash intensified, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation hastily retracted its decision, claiming that the holiday cancellation was issued “without obtaining concurrence from the competent authority.” A revised order was promised, aligning with the state government’s official holiday list. However, the episode once again exposed the Mamata Banerjee-led government’s deep-seated bias against Hindus and the continued appeasement of its Muslim vote bank at the cost of Hindu religious rights.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Restriction/ban on Hindu practices. Within this, the sub-category selected is- Administration restricting religious practice. In several cases, it is seen that the administration/state disallows a religious practice owing to prejudicial orders and concerns, targeted specifically against the Hindu community. Such restriction/prohibition would be considered documented as a hate crime because the orders are often a result of pressure by groups that harbour animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. Often, the restriction by the authorities is driven by bias, hostility, or prejudice against the specific community being stopped from holding a religious practice, by pressure groups that harbour animosity towards Hindus, intrinsic to their faith. Since practices are intrinsic to the faith of the Hindus, such prejudicial restriction is considered a curtailing of the fundamental rights of the Hindu community. In several cases, for example, the authorities ban a Hindu religious practice due to pressure from groups opposed to the religion. In other instances the prohibition is selectively enforced against one religious group (Hindus) while others are allowed to proceed. There are still other cases where the authorities preemptively restrict a religious practice by Hindus because those who hold animosity towards Hindus may get “provoked” leading to them being violent, thereby assuaging the sentiments of those who hold animosity towards Hindus by curtailing the religious rights of Hindus. Such acts and orders are prejudiced, indicating discriminatory motives owing to the capitulation to groups that harbour animosity towards Hindus and therefore, would be categorized as a religiously motivated hate crime since the original pressure leading to the order itself is a result of hatred/bias/prejudice/religious hate against Hindus. This case has been included in the tracker as it exemplifies state-sponsored discrimination against Hindu religious practices. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) under the direction of the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government, cancelled the Vishwakarma Puja holiday while extending the Eid holiday. This decision demonstrates an institutional bias that seeks to undermine Hindu traditions in favour of Muslim appeasement. The decision was not an isolated incident but aligns with a broader pattern of Mamata Banerjee’s administration curbing Hindu religious expression while prioritising the demands of the Muslim community. By attempting to remove a holiday that holds cultural and religious significance for the Hindus, the state administration displayed a clear disregard for Hindu sentiments. This move was only reversed after widespread outrage, further proving that such discriminatory actions would have gone unchecked if not for public backlash. Moreover, the TMC government’s track record of favouring minorities over the Hindu majority—whether in terms of reservations, religious accommodations, or administrative decisions—adds to the growing perception that Hindu rights are being systematically eroded in West Bengal. The state’s political and religious bias is well-documented, with multiple incidents highlighting the systematic suppression of Hindu rights. From the arrest of Hindus for chanting "Jai Shri Ram" to the routine denial of permissions for Hindu religious processions, the administration has demonstrated a clear inclination to appease the Muslim vote bank at the expense of Hindu religious freedoms. Mamata Banerjee’s silence on instances of Islamist violence against Hindus in West Bengal further solidifies this perception. Given the state’s history of religious discrimination and its repeated efforts to restrict Hindu religious observances, this incident is being categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus.
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