Bhojshala: Spring festival tests communal spirit

Basant Panchami, the spring festival has brought tension this year to the disputed Bhojshala shrine in Madhya Pradesh, where both Hindus and...

Basant Panchami, the spring festival has brought tension this year to the disputed Bhojshala shrine in Madhya Pradesh, where both Hindus and Muslims worship.

With the Hindus considering the shrine a Saraswati temple and the Muslims calling it the Kamal Maula Masjid, the Archaeological Survey of India had worked out a compromise allowing Hindus to worship at the temple on Basant Panchmi while the Muslims congregate here for prayers every Friday. The problem is: this year Basant Panchmi falls on February 3, a Friday.

The ASI has come up with a formula: Hindus can worship at Bhojshala from sunrise to 12.30 pm and then from 3.30 pm to sunset, while Muslims can offer prayers from 1 pm to 3 pm. However, the Hindu Jagran Manch has rejected the formula, saying that the auspicious festival comes only once a year and they had the right to pray at the temple the whole day.

The Manch also plans to organise a Dharam Rakshan Sangam at the disputed shrine. 8216;8216;There are 52 Fridays every year and it8217;s not mandatory for Muslims to pray only at Bhojshala,8221; says the Manch8217;s Ashish Basu. 8220;For the Hindus, however, there is no option because Basant Panchmi has been celebrated at this place for ages,8217;8217; he claimed.

The HJM8217;s regional convenor Radheshyam Yadav said that though no religious function would be organised at the shrine after 1 pm, it would still be impossible to vacate the premises as over one lakh devotees are expected to take part in the ceremonies.

Yadav said a similar situation had occurred in 1999 but admitted that the scale of awareness among Hindus wasn8217;t high then. 8216;8216;It8217;s not that we don8217;t want Muslims to pray, but given that thousands of Hindus will descend here on Friday it will be difficult to control the mob,8217;8217; he said.

For their part, Kazi Vakar Sadique said the Muslim community did not want to break a tradition they have been following for 800 years. 8216;8216;We want the administration to ensure that both communities offer prayers separately. We are discussing ways to reduce our numbers and the duration of prayers as well as take a different route to avoid confrontation,8217;8217; he said.

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The administration has organised peace meetings between both communities but a compromise is not yet in sight. 8216;8216;We hope to find a way out,8217;8217; Dhar SP P K Mathur said. Fifteen companies of paramilitary forces have also been deployed and people have been asked to deposit their arms with the authorities.