New Delhi, August 01: Tension prevailed around the Qutub Minar complex on Friday after 200 Muslim devotees were denied permission to offer namaaz in the mosque
located inside the premises.
After clashing with the police deployed at the site and neighbouring monuments following complaint by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the protesters offered prayers on the busy MG Road, obstructing traffic for 45 minutes. Soon a group of Hindu activists also arrived on the scene to complicate matters.
A senior ASI official said: “It had become a routine affair. After several complaints, we sought heavy police presence to handle the problem. From now on, things are going to be very strict at ASI monuments. We will check whether permission has been granted for prayers at these sites. But the government has made it clear that heritage monuments cannot be revived for religious purposes.”
Almost 400 policemen were deployed outside protected monuments like Jamali-Kamali, Mandi masjid and Raja ki Baoli in Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Police was also deployed in Mohammdi mosque in Siri Fort. For the past few weeks, prayers have been offered in the mosques at these monuments. A senior police officer said: “We deployed four companies in Mehrauli area after government orders. The ASI monuments were sealed around 1pm and no one was allowed entry.”
Barred, devotees lined up on the road outside to offer namaaz, holding large banners reading `To offer namaaz in masjids is our religious right’. “The ASI and police cannot stop us from performing our religious duties. Masjids are meant for Muslims,” said one such devotee.
Amid the protests, a large group Hindu activists also arrived on the scene, proclaiming that they would not allow encroachment of monuments in Mehrauli. Fearing a communal clash, police didn’t allow both groups to get close. `These are exactly the kind of communal problems that will arise if this problem is not sorted immediately. There are thousands of monuments under ASI protection and the rules clearly state that prayers will only be allowed only if it was recorded at the time of the 1958 notification,” said a historian.
The Muslim protesters, meanwhile, said that it was their religious right to offer prayers in mosques. Zubair Ahmed Alwari, president of All India Mewat Vikas Panchayat, said: “We do not want to disobey the law and all we want is the right to offer namaaz in masjids.”
-Agencies