By Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui,
Early morning on January 12th , Delhi govt. officials accompanied by 500 armed police personnel and DDA demolition squad and equipments reached a Hindu dominated locality Jangpura-B, adjacent to Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia’s Mazar and tombs of Mughal ruler Humayun and Abdul Raheem Khankhana, to demolish a small Mosque in this area known as Masjid Noor. The entire operation was so secretive and planned that demolishers had within half an hour levelled the masjid structure and armed police had cordoned the vicinity of the mosque. Today two days later the force has swelled to 3000 CRPF personnel guarding the demolished masjid from Muslims who wanted to offer Juma Prayers at the masjid site.
Rule of law has been implemented and “illegal structure” (Noor Mosque) on Delhi Govt. land has been done away with. Congress MLA Sardar Talvinder Singh has played dirty in this episode. The president of Jangpura Residents Association is Sardar Monu Chadda, a school dropout and close associate of Sardar Talvinder Singh, the Congress MLA on whose complaint the masjid has been demolished.
People offering prayer at the site of demolished Noor masjid
I, till four years back, was a resident of Jangpura-B from 1975 and this one room small Masjid Noor was ten houses away from my house. As a disabled person after my car accident in January I992 this mosque was a relief for persons like me as I had difficulty in going to Bhogal or Nizamuddin Mosque. Sardar Talvinder Singh, a known land-grabber and former president of PGDAV College, Srinivaspuri, New Delhi, now a Congress MLA and Congress leader Tajdar Babbar never cooperated with the Muslims of the area. I can say with proof and confidence about their involvement in this demolition. The SHO of Nizamuddin is also part of the loot.
The Delhi High Court four years back ordered the Delhi state govt to stop illegal cutting of Dargah Panch Peer trees behind the Prime Ministers of India’s residence. What happened? Despite running from pillar to post the Dargah land was captured by Association of Retired Civil Servants for constructing Civil Servants Club. Today the dargah has been wired within 250 yards by area SHO. The green belt has been reduced to stones. On 9 acres of Dargah land worth at least 20,000 Crores the three storied Club building has almost finished its construction. This writer approached everyone from PM to Sonia to Urdu Media, Muslim leaders, Muslim ministers and MPs but till date nothing has happened despite the High Court orders in favour of the Dargah. Muslims would be grateful if the principle of Wakf alal Aulaad is restored. Dargah land behind PM House in the police lines area should be restored to the Dargah. Now coming to the implementation of the Delhi High Court order in the Jangpura Masjid Noor matter. It was not possible without the will of the Delhi state government and Central government’s complicity. Why a false order/No order is implemented by Delhi state govt. while genuine Delhi Court order in favour of Dargah is not implemented? This selective use of court orders by successive Indian governments and instances of the demolition of Babri Masjid, Batla House fake encounter, Mecca Masjid blasts by Brahmin terrorists or protecting RSS and Shiv Sena, are only radicalising the educated Muslim youth.
The Delhi High Court had not ordered demolition of the Jangpura Masjid as the Delhi Waqf Board had informed the DDA that the mosque was on its registered graveyard land. But Delhi Lt. Governor approved an unknown Religious Committee’s 16th June 2009 recommendation to demolish the mosque which was ultimately demolished on 12th January 2011. Months before the demolition, Zakat Foundation of India approached the office of Lt Governor, DDA and Delhi Government’s Home Dept seeking details about the Religious Committee and the members who attended its 16th June 2009 meeting, a copy of the minutes of the meeting and a copy of the paper on which Lt. Governor approved these minutes. But these offices haven’t yet provided the sought information to ZFI.
(The writer is Chief Editor of www.bismillahnews.in, can be reached at [email protected].)