India
West Bengal Chief Minister Issues Warning on Forced Conversions and Cow Slaughter, Announces Flood Relief for Malda
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari warned against forced religious conversions and cow slaughter in the state on Thursday, while announcing a relief package of about ₹242 crore for flood‑hit Malda district. Speaking at a government programme in Malda, a Muslim‑dominated district that borders Bangladesh, Adhikari said, “Will you stop religious conversion in Malda? One such incident was registered in Kaliachak‑I block in the district. That was the last. If anything similar takes place during my tenure, you won’t find anybody worse than me.” He also warned against the slaughter of cows, stating, “We will not tolerate any religious conversion anywhere. We will stop love‑jihad and land‑jihad. We have handed over land to the BSF for construction of border fences. We will not allow a single fly to sneak in.” In May 2022, the Calcutta High Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation and the National Investigation Agency to probe an alleged case of forced conversion in Malda. Adhikari added, “We will implement the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950. No one should harm a ‘Gau Mata’. I am making this clear.” He also announced that the state government would compensate more than 24,500 families whose houses were totally or partially damaged by floods. With Durga Puja starting next week, the chief minister said the government would provide a kit of clothes, mosquito nets, tarpaulin and food for five days to about 5,000 families badly hit by the floods. “There has not been a single case in which a person died of diarrhoea or snake bite after the flood,” he said. Adhikari noted that the state government is working on a permanent solution to the recurrent erosion problem caused by the Ganges in the district. He said the government has asked IIT Kanpur to prepare a Detailed Project Report, which has already visited the area once, and assured that there will be no shortage of funds.