A delegation of Muslim organisations visiting Mumbai’s Old Custom House to meet Ranjana Desai said officials there were unaware of any UCC office and that letters sent to the address were being returned
MUMBAI — Representatives of several Muslim organisations and religious scholars visited the Old Custom House in Mumbai on Thursday in an attempt to meet Ranjana Desai, chairperson of the committee dealing with the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Maharashtra. However, they said they could not locate her office at the address listed on the state government’s portal.
The delegation included representatives of Sunni Jamiat-ul-Ulama, Jamiat Ulema Ahl-e-Sunnat (Mumbai), the All-Party Federation and Wahdat-e-Islami. The visit was part of an awareness campaign being conducted by Muslim organisations over the proposed UCC.
Maulana Ijaz Ahmed Kashmiri, who was part of the delegation, said the group reached the Old Custom House at around 3.15 pm and left after 4.15 pm, having searched three buildings on the premises.
He said the delegation also approached Room No. 107, where the enquiry section provides information about the offices of different government departments. However, an official in charge, identified as Jadhav, also expressed ignorance about the location of the UCC office.
Kashmiri further claimed that officials told the delegation that letters sent by post to the address in connection with the UCC were being returned because there was no clarity about who was supposed to receive them or where they should be delivered.
Expressing strong displeasure, Kashmiri accused the Maharashtra government of treating the Muslim community’s concerns lightly.
“The government is creating an uproar in the name of the UCC, yet it has not even ensured that the office address is identifiable,” he said, alleging that the situation was causing unnecessary confusion and anxiety among Muslims.
Asked why the delegation had gone to the Old Custom House, Anjum Bape said the address had been obtained from the Maharashtra government’s official portal. Although the portal listed the Old Custom House, he said, it did not specify a room number, prompting the delegation to visit the premises and make enquiries.
The delegation included Maulana Ijaz Ahmed Kashmiri, Maulana Khalilur Rahman Noori, Maulana Azmat Ali, Ilyas Momin of the All-Party Federation (Pune), Wahdat-e-Islami member Khalid Ansari and Anjum Bape, associated with the All-Party Federation in Thane.
The delegation’s account raises questions about the accessibility and administrative arrangements of the UCC committee’s office at the address provided on the state government portal. The Maharashtra government’s response to the allegations was not included in the information provided.
