Mosque is in Madai area of Jabalpur
The land dispute associated with a mosque in Madai area of Jabalpur of Madhya Pradesh has once again been hot. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal have alleged that the mosque has been illegally constructed on the land of Bal Gayatri temple (Khasra No. 169). Hindu organizations have called for the Jabalpur bandh on 16 July, opening a front against the administration on this issue.
Hindu organizations claim that the root of the dispute is the land of measles number 169, on which the Bal Gayatri Temple is located and it has been recorded in the record since 1975. They allege that only 1000 square feet of land (measles number 165) was allotted in the name of Waqf Board, which is about 40 meters from the current mosque according to the map. In contrast, the mosque has been illegally constructed on about 3000 square feet of land, including shops.
The Hindu side also alleges that the madrasa is being illegally operated under the guise of the mosque and illegal use of government measures is being done by the mosque. Naib Tehsildar’s report of 29 October 2021 also confirms that the mosque is not on Khasra number 165 but Khasra number 169 i.e. Gayatri Bal Mandir is built.
Allegations and protests against administration
VHP Department Minister Pankaj Srivasti has accused the administration of taking unilateral decisions and giving a clean chit to the mosque committee without proper investigation and documents. He says that this decision has a huge anger in Hindu society. According to Srivastri, the Masjid Committee had earlier filed a petition in the High Court in this regard, but it was withdrawn due to lack of documents.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have warned of a sequential movement in protest against the clean chit given by the administration: On July 14, the collector’s meaning will be taken from Madai Vikal Marg to Saraswati School to Saraswati School to bus stand Madai. On July 15, effigy will be burnt in all 41 blocks under Jabalpur department. If the Collector Jabalpur is not removed within 24 hours, on July 16, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal Jabalpur will call for the Metropolitan bandh. Organizations say that if there is no fair resolution of the dispute, then the state -wide movement will be waged.
Administration on alert
Given the sensitivity of the case, the administration is on alert mode. Police and revenue department teams are monitoring the disputed site. The district administration has appealed to all parties to maintain peace. This case is becoming challenging not only from religious but also from administrative point of view, the effect of which can be clearly seen on the social status of Jabalpur in the coming days.
