By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: Two persons received bullet injuries when in a group clash over the custody of a religious shrine in old city of Lucknow on Thursday. Police remained mute spectator as the two groups used fire arms inside the shrine. The injured have been admitted to trauma centre. Panic gripped and shopkeepers in the sensitive old city downed their shutters fearing outbreak of violence.
Meanwhile, Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, who heads the shrine, has relinquished the post along with the posts and responsibilities of all religious organisations in Lucknow. As per reports, Dargah Hazrat Abbas, an important shrine of Shia Muslims is situated in Rustam Nagar locality of old city under Saadatganj police circle. The shrine is registered with the Shia Central Board of Waqfs (SCBW) which has appointed a committee headed by eminent Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad as president and one Hidayat Nawab as mutawalli (caretaker).
Lately SCBW received complains of financial embezzlement against Hidayat Nawab and he was thus sacked on Wednesday. A new five member committee which was also headed by Maulana Jawwad was appointed. “We removed Nawab as in the audit there were anomolies of Rs 15 lakhs. He will be served notice and amount recovered from his assets,” said Chairman, SCBW, Syed Waseem Rizvi.
The new committee with Nusrat Hussain Lala as mutawalli and others came to take charge at the shrine around noon on Thursday. Officials of SCBW were also accompanying them. The new committee took custody of several rooms and the SCBW officials started sealing the donation boxes kept inside the shrine. Meanwhile supporters of outgoing committee headed by Hidayat Nawab also arrived at the scene. Soon a verbal duel started between the two groups. Heated arguements led to manhandling and suddenly one Shano took out revolver and fired three rounds.
Two persons, Faizan and Danish were injured in the incident. This led to free for all situation and the attackers along with previous committee members were thrashed by the supporters of other groups who outnumbered them. Meanwhile, police was informed well in advance and was present during the incident inside the shrine. The accused who had fired was handed over to police but later he was released.
“This incident has lowered the dignity of shrine and local police is to be blamed for the firing. They had given full freedom to Nawab and his supporters, many of them include criminals with several cases against them,” said Chairman, SCBW, Waseem Rizvi. He acccused Meesam Rizvi, Habib haider, Ahmed Zaidi, Shanu, Aley Haider, Shan-e-Haider, Shabab, Raza Abbas and several others behind the incident.
“All of them were armed and had come with planning to attack the new committee,” he said. A complain has been filed with the police by the new committee. “We will file another complain with the police as the staff of SCBW has also been assaulted by them,” said Rizvi.
Meanwhile, after the incident the new committee took charge and possession of the office and other complex. The donation boxes however remained sealed. The shrine has an annual income of around Rs 25 lakhs. “The donation boxes will be opened in the presence of Maulana Jawwad,” said Inspector, SCBW, Baqar Raza.
The tussle for supremacy at the shrine is quite old. The ousted caretaker Hidayat Nawab had led an agitation against the SCBW Chairman, Waseem Rizvi along with Meesam Rizvi on October 9. A campaign against the Chariman, SCBW, Waseem Rizvi was started for alleged land grabbing and selling waqf properties. They claimed that they have been removed because they failed to meet the demand of Rs five lakhs by Waseem.
On the other hand, Maulana Jawwad who has again been nominated as President of the shrine in the new committee maintained a stoic silence over the incident. His office informed that Maulana Jawwas is travelling and is out of Lucknow.
However in a statement released by Maulana Jawwad stated that he has condemned the incident stating that it has lowered the dignity of the shrine. Besides this he has also relinquished all the posts in various religious organisations at Lucknow. Though, SCBW Chairman, Waseem Rizvi denied any such move by Jawwad.