An interfaith organisation in Murshidabad’s Behrampore on Tuesday organised a blood donation camp where leading figures of four religions donated blood to spread a message against divisive politics.

The Murshidabad Sampriti Mancha, formed in early 2019 following a spurt in communal clashes in the district, organised the three-hour event at St John’s Church.

District leaders of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Christian communities donated blood lying parallel on three stretchers while maintaining physical distancing norms.

Around 74 donors belonging to the four religions donated blood.

“We are a little over a year old. We were formed to combat the strain of divisive politics in our nation,” said organisation secretary and district imam Nizamuddin Biswas, who is also the state vice-president of the All India Imam and Moazzem Organisation.

“We were worried when we saw people ostracising each other for their religion in Gokarna, Khargram, Kandi and Jalangi in the late 2018 following panchayat polls. So, we took the step of forming the organisation that promotes harmony,” he added.

Other community leaders at the event included Hindu priest Biswajit Ray, Father Arijit Haldar of St John’s Church, Buddhist monk Manoranjan Mondal and Sikh representative Dharamjit Singh Chawla. They all were blood donors also.

Ten imams, other than Biswas, and four Hindu priests, in addition to Ray, were present at the event.

The Mancha is headquartered at the St John’s Church.

Ray, the president of the Mancha, is the priest at the 400-year-old Radhamadhab Mandir here, whereas Arijit Halder is the treasurer of the organisation.

“We want to set a positive example in tough times. Strength and unity are crucial now like never before and Murshidabad knows how to display them,” Halder said.

The blood donation camp was held from 10am to 2pm and attended by district magistrate J.P. Meena, superintendent of police K. Sabari Rajkumar and chief medical officer (health) Prasanta Biswas.

“Our district has always set an example in communal harmony. When communal divisions were triggered in 2018, we immediately formed the Mancha and held gatherings at several villages, following which people understood our message,” said Biswas.

“We don’t care about artificial divisions. Murshidabad is a district of unity,” added Ray. “The joint blood donation camp is only a metaphor and example of that.”