Dharavi tense over razing of illegal section of mosque; trustees agree to demolish it

The Mumbai civic body’s attempt to demolish an allegedly illegal section of a mosque sparked tension in the Dharavi on Saturday (September 21).

The said mosque is located in a lane. At first, hundreds of residents blocked the lane to oppose the demolition bid, news agency PTI reported. Later, they squatted on the road outside Dharavi police station.

As the situation grew tense, trustees of the mosque held talks with officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and sought four to five days to remove the disputed portion. The authorities agreed to this and left. Additional personnel were deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident, a police official told PTI.

Protest outside police station

“A team of BMC officials from the G-North administrative ward reached the 90 Feet Road around 9 am to demolish the allegedly illegal portion of Mehboob-E-Subhani masjid. Soon, residents gathered at the spot and stopped the civic officials from entering the lane where the mosque is located,” he said.

“Later, hundreds of people also assembled outside the Dharavi police station and squatted on the road to protest against the civic body’s move,” he added.

Notice was served

A civic official said the BMC’s G north ward had issued a notice to the mosque authorities to remove the illegal construction or face action.

Later, during a joint meeting with civic officials and Dharavi police, the mosque trustees asked the BMC to give them four to five days to remove the illegal part of the structure, the official said.

He said the trustees submitted a written request to the BMC’s deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner of the G north division, stating that they would remove the construction on their own during this period.

The civic body has accepted the request, the official said.

“Last-ditch” attempt

Commenting on the incident, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray accused the Eknath Shinde-led government of trying to create communal discord as a “last-ditch” attempt before upcoming Assembly elections.

“The masjid issue in Dharavi is the last attempt by the BJP and the Shinde government to create a discord between Hindus and Muslims. People of Dharavi had stood against the redevelopment project,” he said.

The BJP and its NDA allies are attempting to stoke communal and caste flare-ups, he alleged. “On the one hand, they will say Hindus are being attacked in Bangladesh, and on the other hand, they will play cricket (with the Bangladesh team),” he told reporters.

On Tirupati laddu issue

Responding to the Tirupati temple laddu issue, Thackeray demanded that the prasad laddus be tested in an international lab and not in Gujarat.

“This is a very sensitive matter. Jagan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu, who are criticising each other on the matter, have been allies of the BJP. The BJP should respond,” he said.

The alleged finding of beef tallow and other fats such as lard and fish oil in the ghee that was used to make the laddu prasadam of the Tirupati temple has sparked a major controversy. A private lab in Gujarat has confirmed the suspicion.

(With agency inputs)