Land allotted near Bhojshala site, Muslims hold Friday namaz amid protests by locals

The namaz was held at the new site amid heavy police deployment. With rain turning the open ground into slush, the administration laid tarpaulin sheets over it, levelled parts of the land and erected barricades around the area.

Abdul Samad, a representative of the Kamal Maula Welfare Society, said they “did not face any difficulty in reading the namaz” and the prayers were peaceful. However, he added, being open, the field requires significant infrastructure if it is to become a regular prayer site.

“Levelling needs to be done. We need a dry spot, access roads, water facilities and waterproof tents. We need a ceiling,” Samad said, adding that if more ground was available, above 500 people could offer namaz together here. “Today, the devotees spilled over into the mud and crops.”

There was tension when some local residents objected to the prayers, claiming ownership of the land. “They have been asked to produce their papers,” Samad said.

The protesters included residents of Vikram Nagar, who alleged that the land on which namaz was offered was privately owned and had been cultivated by their families for generations. Pushpa Bijwa said the administration had arrived without prior notice. “This is our father’s and grandfather’s land. Why should we let them offer namaz? We will not move from here,” she said.

Another resident, Chandrakant Devda, claimed the land belonged to three members of his family and was their primary source of livelihood. “We will not allow prayers to be offered here.”

Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rajkumar Haldar and other officials reached the spot to ensure there was no trouble due to the protests. They assured the residents that their objections would be heard, following which the protesters dispersed and the namaz proceeded under police supervision.

“The Kamal Maula Mosque is directly visible from this land. That is why we agreed to offer namaz here,” Samad said, adding that both the community and the administration would abide by any future interim or final orders passed by the Supreme Court.

Before the order upholding the Bhojshala complex as Hindu, under an arrangement framed by the Archaeological Survey of India in 2003, Hindus were permitted to perform puja there on Tuesdays while Muslims offered Friday namaz at the Kamal Maula Mosque. If the festival of Basant Panchami coincided with a Friday, special arrangements were worked out by the administration, often allowing both communities to worship inside the protected monument under heavy security.

In 2022, the Hindu Front for Justice challenged the ASI’s 2003 order, seeking unrestricted Hindu worship. In 2024, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered a scientific survey of the complex, observing that its nature and character needed to be “demystified and freed from the shackles of confusion”. The subsequent ASI report stated that the existing structure incorporated architectural elements from earlier temples.

On May 15 this year, the High Court held that the disputed complex bore the religious character of a temple. The ruling is currently under challenge before the Supreme Court, which has not stayed the High Court’s findings but directed that an alternative site be provided near the complex for Friday prayers while it examines the dispute.

The alternative land initially identified for namaz by the administration after the Supreme Court order was rejected by the Muslim side, which said the site was too far from the Bhojshala mosque. No namaz was offered on that land last Friday.