Imam Bukhari leads march, offers namaz at site

Jan 15, 2011 - Age Correspondent |

New Delhi

A large number of people on Friday offered prayers at the spot where a mosque, which had come up illegally on DDA land, was razed on Wednesday morning in Jangpura area of southeast Delhi. Stray incidents of protest were also reported amid heavy presence of security forces.

Earlier, chief minister Sheila Dikshit met the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid and conveyed the messages of Union home minister P. Chidambaram and urban development minister S. Jaipal Reddy that people would be allowed to offer prayers at the site. The Shahi Imam later “led” a march from the Jama Masjid to the spot. Around 1,000 people offered Friday prayers. A large number of people offered prayers in front of the Hazrat Nizamuddin police station. The police had to close the route from Neela Gumbad towards Ashram Chowk to prevent any untoward incident. Some agitators damaged a DTC bus but they were reined-in soon by the community elders.
Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam, after the meeting with Ms Dikshit, said that Union ministers P. Chidambaram and S. Jaipal Reddy allowed prayers at the site. The Shahi Imam also claimed that Ms Dikshit had assured that the government will buy land and give it to DWB for constructing a mosque. But the chief minister’s office refused to comment.
The Shahi Imam later addressed a gathering with Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav. The police said that people were allowed to offer prayers but extreme caution was observed.
Meanwhile, the DDA filed a compliance report in the Delhi HC saying the demolition has been carried out. The DDA told a division bench of chief justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Jain that it had cleared 350 square metre of land and is constructing a boundary wall, besides putting a sign board saying the land belonged to the DDA.
The Delhi Wakf Board (DWB) too filed a petition challenging the high court order (directing the DDA to demolish the structure) but withdrew it after the court pointed out that it was not filed under proper provisions of the Constitution. The DWB may file a fresh petition by next week and the matter has been posted for March 1 for further hearing.

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