Row over Afzal Khan’s tomb again

The Maharashtra administration is not taking any chances with the Afzal Khan tomb at Pratapgad. Two days after the VHP announced that it would demolish the ancient monument, police cordoned off every entry point. After all, the monument has sufficient gunpowder to trigger a mini-riot and spark communal tension in the surrounding regions of Wai, Mahableshwar, Satara and Kolhapur.

Varsha Deshpande, a Satara-based advocate, has now filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court, seeking a resolution to the controversy. Says Deshpande, who is also secretary of the Dalit Mahila Vikas Mandal: ‘‘The tomb has a reputation for fulfilling people’s wishes. People of all religions visit it. Unfortunately, matters took a distinct communal twist in 2001. Now, politicians are using it as an election plank.’’

At the centre of the controversy lies the trust — the Hazrat Mohammed Afzal Khan Memorial Society — to whom the land has been leased, and its alleged ‘‘illegal’’ constructions.

Once a small tomb with a neighbouring tin shed, the area is now dotted with pucca cement structures including a dharamshala. Deshpande has demanded that the government make a statement in court on the status of the tomb land. ‘‘This trust was de-registered by the charity commissioner’s office. From a tin shed, they have now built structures covering around 6,000 ft,’’ she said. Her counsel Uday Warunjikar, argues that the trust’s lease has expired. ‘‘It is government land, they should maintain it,’’ he says.