Delhi | Mosque razed, its keepers claim got no notice; DDA says illegal structure removed
The Akhoondji Masjid and Behrul Uloom madrasa were, later, demolished by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on January 30. Locals claim the mosque was built during Razia Sultana's reign making the structure nearly 600-700 years old.
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Children who lived and studied at Behrul Uloom madrasa operating from the premises of Akhoondji Masjid, now demolished (right), told to pack up and leave early Tuesday. (Express Photo)Imam Zakir Hussain was getting ready for morning prayers early Tuesday when the police came knocking at his Mehrauli mosque. Children who live and study at the madrasa functioning from the premises were told to pack up and leave.
The Akhoondji Masjid and Behrul Uloom madrasa were, later, demolished by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on January 30. Locals claim the mosque was built during Razia Sultana’s reign making the structure nearly 600-700 years old.
Though the premises had a mosque, madrasa and graveyard, the structure is not a notified heritage building. “We were barely given ten minutes to gather our things before the machines came and demolition started,” said Hussain, the mosque’s Imam for the last 1.5 years. He alleged the authorities took away his phone, escorted him away from the site and cordoned it off, deploying CISF personnel along the perimeter; the rubble from the demolition was collected and disposed of almost immediately.
Shamstabrez Khan, whose wife Ishrattun Nisa was buried in the mosque’s graveyard in August 2020, alleged that the graveyard too wasn’t spared with her grave too being desecrated. “My wife died due to liver issues, and finding a graveyard was hard during the pandemic. This was the only place we could find a resting place for her despite living far away in Uttam Nagar,” said Khan, (retired).
Parents of the children who lived in the madrasa were notified of the demolition only after it was done: Mohammad Sohail Sheikh arrived on Wednesday from Kashmir to meet his son only to find the madrasa gone and heavy police presence where it stood.
“I came to drop off some clothes for my son because it’s been so cold here lately but I couldn’t find the madrasa,” Sheikh said, tears brimming in his eyes. “I can’t send my child to a fancy school or hostel so I sent him here instead,” he said. Other students were sent to another madrasa nearby where they will stay for the time being.
DDA officials reasoned that the structure was in Sanjay Van, a reserved forest part of the Southern Ridge. As per the decision of Ridge Management Board, the ridge area should be free from all types of illegal encroachment, said DDA officials.
“Removal of illegal structures, religious in nature, was approved by the Religious Committee,” the DDA said in a statement.
When The Indian Express asked about the alleged lack of prior notice to the mosque authorities, a DDA official said, “We have followed all due procedures.”
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