Team Clarion
BAREILLY — Three minarets of a Mosque were demolished in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district on Sunday at the behest of the policemen after Hindutva groups protested against the constructions of the Mosque calling it “illegal”.
The incident took place at Mansoori Masjid in Malukpur area when some people created ruckus after they saw that some construction is going on in the Mosque. As per reports, soon, local councillor Dheeraj Kumar and Hindu Jagran Manch also joined the ruckus against the mosque.
Reports also suggest that following the ruckus, the police force also reached the spot and questioned the construction of the minaret.
Hindutva leaders claimed that the three minarets were being built anew but as per local Muslims these are old minarets which are being reconstructed after the old ones grew dilapidated.
Speaking to local media, Mohammed Naim, a local resident, said that some minarets of the mosque grew weak with time. There was a plan going on to reconstruct these minarets for which donation was collected and now the work has started.
“If some people had any objections in this regard, they could talk to us and resolve the issue peacefully. But the issue was not resolved peacefully, rather a ruckus was created. Now, people are suffering due to this,” he said.
Upon enquiring about the permission of the construction, the resident clarified that there was nothing new being constructed. Minarets are part of mosques everywhere and here they are being repaired.
“It cannot be called new construction,” he added..
Another resident Zeeshan said that some people incited the public against the mosque deliberately. “The dilapidated parts of the mosque were being repaired. The people living in the neighbourhood of the mosque had no objections, but outsiders came to create ruckus and disturb the peace,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police official said that the under-construction minarets were demolished by the mosque caretakers themselves. Tombs and tiles were being fitted into the mosque. The work was stayed.
This is another controversy created by the Hindutva groups over the construction in the mosque. In Himachal Pradesh’s capital Shimla, Hindu organisations led massive rallies and protests, demanding the demolition of a decades-old Mosque in Sanjauli area. The mosque which was constructed on the waqf land is being targeted because upper floors were constructed.
