At the picturesque railway colony near the Prayagraj railway station stands centuries-old Noori Masjid (the Prayagraj railway masjid). The masjid serves as a novel site for the travelers who often flock here to offer their Salah. On every Friday, the masjid acts as a place of worship for almost 500 devotees of Allah.
The Imaam of the masjid, who has been taking care of it for almost a quarter of a century, like usual days, led the morning prayer, cleaned the mosque, and left to come back for another prayer on Friday. After a few hours, he along with a few people came to open the mosque, and to their shock, they saw only debris and bricks with no mosque.
The entire masjid was reduced to rubble by railway authorities without prior notice. Mohd Faraz, (Name Changed) one of the caretakers of the mosque and a close ally of the Imaam, told FoEJ Media that they were not given even an hour to collect the belongings from the mosque. Mohd Faraz claims that no one knew that the move would take place today. Like the normal days, they left the mosque after offering their dawn prayer and after hours came to know that their mosque is now a heap of ruins.
“No one knew the mosque would be demolished today,” Mohd Faraz said.
“We were given notice that the mosque would be demolished, a 15-day period was provided in the notice. However, that time had not yet expired, and the mosque was suddenly demolished today without warning,” Mohd Faraz added.
“During Bakr-Eid, prayers were held here at the earliest time, and people from all over the city would gather. The residents of the colony never had any issues. Suddenly, before Ramadan, a notice was given that the mosque had to be removed”, Mohd Faraz said further.
“We were told to demolish the mosque’s boundary, and we thought that doing so would save the entire mosque from being demolished. So, we took down the boundary, but nothing worked; the entire mosque was demolished today,” he revealed.
Long Legal Battle for Nothing
Days before Ramadan, the Imam of the Noori Masjid reportedly received an official notice from the railway authority stating that the Masjid is constructed on railway property. In response to the notice, Mohd Faraz, along with other people, approached the Allahabad High Court and challenged the case, but the court rejected the case and said the matter concerns the railway.
“We approached the Allahabad High Court, but they didn’t even accept the case.” Mohd Faraz told FoEJ Media.
As claimed by Mohd Faraz, the Allahabad High Court said, “This matter concerns the railway; the land belongs to the railway.”
Mohd Faraz also revealed that the masjid authority did not have proper papers to prove their challenge.
However, the legal dispute did not stop here. Mohd Faraz, along with others, approached the general manager of the railway, who oversees the DRMs of Allahabad, Agra, and Jhansi.
“We went to the general manager of the railway, who oversees the DRMs of Allahabad, Agra, and Jhansi,” Mohd Faraz claimed.
Mohd Faraz told Foej Media that the General manager refused to accept the case and said, “This isn’t under my jurisdiction; you should meet the DRM in Lucknow.”
As claimed by Mohd Faraz, he approached the DRM in Lucknow, but the efforts went in vain. “We went there as well, submitted an application, but nothing came out of it”,said Mohd Faraz.
Mohd Faraz further revealed that they were told by the railway authority to bring down the boundary of the mosque to reduce its vicinity, so, in order to save their mosque, they accepted it and willingly demolished the mosque’s boundary.
“We were told to demolish the mosque’s boundary, and we thought that doing so would save the mosque from being demolished. So, we took down the boundary,” Mohd Faraz said.
Contradictory Narrative by Imaam
To take the insights of the case, Foej Media contacted the Imaam of the mosque, but he had a different story to narrate. Imaam told FoEJ that he advocates the move and the mosque was on Railway’s land.
“The mosque was on railway land, and they demolished it. What’s wrong with that? Imaam asked”
Meanwhile, on being asked about the claims made by Mohd Faraz, he said, “He does not know anything; it’s all lies; we did not challenge the move.”
Pragayraj and Mosque Demolition History
Earlier last year, when the new year started symbolizing peace, love, and harmony, another centuries-old mosque was razed down to the ground in Prayagraj.
The Shahi Mosque was demolished on January 9, 2023, as part of a road widening project by the Public Works Department. The demolition was carried out despite ongoing legal proceedings, as the mosque administration had sought relief from the courts, arguing that the mosque was a legal structure with historical significance dating back to the 16th century. However, the Allahabad High Court dismissed their petition, stating that the mosque was built on encroached government land.
