Shinde visits Haji Malang Dargah, performs “aarti”

Even as Shinde visits the shrine every year, this was his first visit to the place after his January 2 statement when he said he would fulfil people’s wish to “liberate” the shrine. While Shinde conducted the “aarti”, those accompanying him raised slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

The Haji Malang Dargah is located on a hill in the south of Kalyan and is named after the medieval Sufi saint Haji Abd-ul-Rahman, popularly known as Haji Malang Baba. In the mid-80s, the local unit of the Shiv Sena led by Anand Dighe, Shinde’s political mentor, started an agitation claiming that the structure was, in fact, an old Hindu shrine belonging to the Nath Panth, an order of yogis. The Shiv Sena was the first to start a campaign to “reclaim” the said structure, which they refer to as “Malanggad”.

In what appeared to be an attempt by both Senas to claim the baton of Dighe’s agitation, on Saturday the Sena UBT put up a podium near the gates of the shrine with pictures of Dighe, while the swathes leading up to the shrine were lined with posters and flags of the Shinde Sena.

As the shrine turned into a political field for both Senas, devotees of all faith arriving at the dargah remained enthused, despite the two-hour-long trek to the site.

As Hindus and Muslims flocked the shrine in large numbers to celebrate ‘Malanggad Yatra’ and ‘Urs’ respectively, Sudhakar Pathare, DCP (Zone IV), Ulhasnagar, who was in charge of police deployment, said over 1,000 police personnel had been deployed along a 16-km stretch, starting from Nevali police station up to the last peak where the dargah is situated.

“Owing to VIP movement and the large number of Hindus and Muslims arriving at the shrine, we have deployed a large number of police personnel this year and made tactical deployment. Police officials from Thane, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai, Raigad as well as Palghar have been roped in,” Pathare told The Indian Express.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Tushar from Malegaon, on his 13th visit to the shrine, said, “I have been coming here for the past 13 years as I am a devotee of Shri Malang. My friends and I have come from Malegaon and will be staying here until tomorrow so that we can witness all the rituals during the night.”

Meanwhile, Mumtaz, a believer of Haji Malang Baba, said, “This is the first visit for my family of 11 as well as me. Even though this is a first, this won”t be my last.”

Shopkeepers express concern

While lakhs of Hindu and Muslim devotees arrive at the shrine during Urs, local residents and owners of shops leading up to the dargah said their business has taken a hit as the footfall is much lower this year compared to previous years.

“At this time, normally, there isn’t even space for people to walk but this time we are noticing that the footfall is much less. Our business has taken a hit this year,” said Arif, a lodge owner, whose family has been living in the hills of Haji Malang for the past three generations.

Nisar, a third generation resident of the area who runs a flower shop on the way leading up to the shrine, said, “Current business is not even 10 per cent of what we usually see during Urs. I have not even been able to recover even the cost of the flowers that I bought today. Because of all the tension created by certain sections, people are afraid to come now. Our business has really slowed down.”

“While Hindus and Muslims have been living here peacefully for years, because of some statements, people who come with their families and children could naturally be a little bit worried,” said another shopowner on the condition of anonymity.

Barring one incident where nearly 40 structures were razed by the forest department near the Sultan Baba’s dargah that comes along the way of Haji Malang shrine early this month, residents and business owners maintained that they have faced no tension.

“Our business has slowed a little but we have never faced any tension. People of all communities are living here peacefully. We are hoping that more people will start arriving after evening,” said Osmanabad-based Sachin, who has been running a sweet stall near the dargah since 2001.

While local police patils and senior officials agreed that the crowd is comparatively lower, they said that more devotees are expected to arrive in the evening. A senior police official said, “A large number of devotees are expected to arrive in the evening as the main rituals of the shrine set off at night. Also, there is less footfall now because it’s noon and very sunny,” a senior police official told The Indian Express on Saturday afternoon.