As many as 150 Muslim men gathered together and offered Friday Namaz on land adjacent to the Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar. This was the first prayer since the Madhya Pradesh High Court declared that the Bhojshala complex was a Saraswati temple on May 15, earlier this year.
“In accordance with the Supreme Court’s Thursday direction, around 150 Muslim men offered Namaz on Khasra Number 612, which is government land. The Namaz was offered under adequate police arrangements. Based on what the Supreme Court observes in the hearing, starting from August 5, an appropriate decision will be taken for the future,” said Dhar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rajkumar Haldhar.
However, the move garnered objection from the residents of the neighboring Vikram Nagar locality, who said that the Kharsa No. 612 land belonged to them.
Meanwhile, the SDM rejected the claim and said to reporters, “Their plea was disallowed, as the concerned Khasra Number is government land.”
The prayers were held following the permission of the Supreme Court. On Thursday, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant ordered the Madhya Pradesh government to make sure that Muslims are allowed to offer prayers at the site on Fridays between 1 pm and 3 pm.
On July 14, the Supreme Court directed the state government to allocate a separate land adjacent to the disputed site for Friday prayers with timings 1 pm – 3 pm. However, the Muslim side later claimed failure in the allotment of the land.
“Three Khasras (unique plot-specific identification numbers) had been suggested to us by the administration, including the main 611, besides 596 and 612. But keeping in mind the maintenance of communal harmony, we accepted performing the Namaz on Khasra No. 612. The final decision on where Namaz would be held was taken at 1.30 pm. Today’s arrangement was temporary, and on the next date of hearing (August 5) in the apex court, we will request to allow us Namaz on our main Khasra/Survey No. 611 next Friday,” Kamal Maula Welfare Society head Abdul Samad said, as reported by the New Indian Express.
“Today we offered namaz amid rain and sludge; next time we hope to perform our prayers in a better manner,” he said.
On May 15, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday declared that the disputed Bhojshala Temple-Mosque Complex in Dhar is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. The move cancels the 2003 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order, which allowed Muslims to offer Friday prayers on Bhojshala premises.
Ahead of the order, the ASI will continue to have control over the management of the Bhojshala, but the right to perform religious rituals will remain firmly with the Hindu side.
“We have noted the continuity of Hindu worship at the site here has never been extinguished. We record findings that historical literature places establish the character of the disputed area as Bhojshala as the center of Sanskrit learning associated with Raja Bhoj of the Parmar dynasty,” the court said.
