Some advocates, dealing with Waqf property cases, said the whole police exercise was planned and all this anti-encroachment drive is humbug.
Syed Ali Mujtaba
THE Gebansha Dargah (Muslim shrine) at the Majewadi Gate in Junagadh, Gujarat, is safe and no damage has been done to it. A high drama ensued in the area as a large contingent of policemen attempted to demolish it last week (June 16).
The Junagadh Municipal Corporation, as part of its “anti-encroachment” drive, has sent notices to several mosques and shrines across the state to produce proper papers of the properties or face demolition.
The corporation sent a notice to the administration of the Gebansha Dargah at the Majewadi Gate on June 14, demanding ownership papers of the property in five days.
The corporation issued notice for the demolition of the dargah claiming that it was built on government land. The dargah administration submitted the ownership documents of the premises after receiving the notice.
The documents state that the shrine was initially laid in 1938, and was registered when the region was part of the Junagadh Princely state. The document further shows that the dargah was registered with the Gujarat State Waqf Board in 2016.
However, late on June 16, a high drama followed after the police surrounded the dargah for its possible demolition. In response, at least 500 Muslims gathered in the area stirring tensions and stone-pelting. The police resorted to lathi-charge and hurled tear gas shells at the protestors.
In the aftermath, a horrifying video surfaced where some Muslim men were seen being flogged outside the dargah, and a man is seen collapsing in pain at the end. The videos show a few Muslims being made to stand in a line, with a masked man flogging them right outside the shrine. The flogger took intervals to beat them, amidst loud screams from the victims.
Police also raided Muslim homes and they also created chaos in the vicinity of the dargah to look for the protesters. Many locals have shared videos and photos of their damaged homes and held the police responsible for it.
Some advocates, dealing with Waqf property cases, said the whole police exercise was planned and all this anti-encroachment drive is humbug. They said the municipal corporation continues to send such notices and even before the given time to respond expires they demolish the structures. Many such petitions are pending in the Gujarat High Court.
In this regard, the Gujarat High Court had issued a notice to the Junagadh District Collector and the Municipal Commissioner over a petition filed by a Muslim trust seeking direction to the authorities not to demolish shrines and graves situated in the ancient Upper-kot Fort of the town under the redevelopment and restoration project.
The direction was issued by the court after complaints about the demolition of a century-old shrine named Jangal-shah Pir Dargah situated at the Narsinh Mehta Lake outside the Upper Kot on April 13.
The court issued the direction apprehending demolition as many dargahs and temples are situated in the ancient fort dating back to the Mughal empire.
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com
