18th-century Ayodhya mosque faces minaret demolition; case in HC

Time has been given to the mosque authorities to build a beam to keep the mosque intact and then remove the minaret, they added.

Ayodhya mosque, Ayodhya mosque faces minaret demolition, ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department, Indian Express, India news, current affairs

Masjid Khajoor Wali is said to be built by Nawab Mehdi Hasan Khan in 1750. (Express Photo)

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A minaret of an 18th century Shia community mosque in Ayodhya is facing demolition proceedings by the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) as it is coming in the way of the widening of an arterial six-lane road in the temple town.

Government officials said the minaret of the mosque, Masjid Khajoor Wali, located at Gudri Bazar of the town, is encroaching upon nearly 3 metres of the proposed widening of the road, Ram Path, that connects the Shahadatganj area on the Lucknow-Ayodhya highway with Naya Ghat in Ayodhya city. Time has been given to the mosque authorities to build a beam to keep the mosque intact and then remove the minaret, they added.

Meanwhile, the mosque committee has filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court against the demolition notices. The petition was first heard on March 3, when the court passed an order seeking replies from the Shia Waqf Board, Ayodhya District Magistrate, and the PWD. The matter was heard by a Bench that fixed April 21 as the next date of hearing.

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Advocate Intezar Hussain, who is part of the mosque committee’s legal team, said the replies by all parties have been filed in the court. “In the petition, we told the court that the mosque is a historical structure and a symbol for the Shia community. We have asked the court to direct the concerned authorities to not demolish the minaret. The case was last taken up on March 3, after which it was not heard due to paucity of time. We will seek a date from the court soon,” said Hussain.

Mosque caretaker Parvez Hussain on Thursday said the administration is putting pressure on the mosque management to demolish a portion of the mosque, which is registered with the UP Shia Waqf Board.

“The administration has been repeatedly telling us to demolish the minaret which, during the survey, was found in the way of the Ram Path. Around a year ago, they said that the minaret will have to be removed,” said Hussain.

According to the mosque committee officials, the structure was built by Nawab Mehdi Hasan Khan in 1750. “In December last year, we wrote to the top authorities, but received no response,” said Hussain, adding that namaz is offered at the mosque by members of the Shia community five times a day.

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“Some shops that were part of the complex were removed and we accepted compensation for them. But since the mosque is an old structure and has importance for the Shia community, we don’t want its part to be demolished,” added Hussain.

In a letter to the Ayodhya Divisional Commissioner in December last year, the mosque committee said that there is some nazul (government) land to the north of the mosque, which could be used for road widening so as to save the minaret from demolition.

UP Shia Waqf Board chairperson Ali Zaidi confirmed that the mosque is registered with the Board. “This matter has been going on for a while… The mosque committee has approached the court. We have also held talks with the district administration,” said Zaidi.

Asad Rehman

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More

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