HVK Archives: Illegal structure sparks violence - Idgah mosque in Bangalore
Illegal structure sparks violence - Idgah mosque in Bangalore - Organiser
Posted By Krishnakant Udavant (kkant@bom2.vsnl.net.in)
28 September 1997
Title: Illegal structure sparks violence - Idgah mosque in Bangalore
Author:
Publication: Organiser
Date: September 28, 1997
Four people were killed, many injured and vehicles and property worth
crores were destroyed when a section of the Muslim community unleashed
unprovoked violence at Jayanagar in Bangalore recently. The reason for the
violence according to the police is the dispute over the clearance of
debris near Idgah mosque at Jayanagar between two sections of the Muslim
community.
For decades the land in which the mosque is situated had been clouded in
controversy. The mosque has a wall-the centre of contention-intruding into
the busy road near the junction of the Jayanagar terminus and shopping
complex. This wall defied all efforts to widen the road and proved to be a
unisance for the public. Moreover the mosque on Idgah grounds triggered a
dispute between Muslims residing in two localities, Jayanagar and Basavagudi.
It was the Mysore royalty which had donated the piece of land behind the
present Jayanagar shopping complex to the Muslim community. The Muslims
useing as a cemetry and was built a structure on one portion of the land.
Assuring the mosque authorities of an alternate land, the Government in
1956 acquired this land. But one Congress Government restored the land to
the occupants even though the posession certificate for the land was not
been given to them.
The differences were brewing among these two sections over the question of
widening of the road near the land. One group wanted to widen the road
while the other wanted to construct a shopping complex. The latter
approached the Corporation seeking permission for constructing shopping
complex. Meanwhile one group dediced to sink a borewell, but, it was
opposed by the other section saying that it was the Government land.
However and was agreed to proceed with sinking of the borewell. However on
September 17, a section of the enlightened Muslims who supported the
widening of the road, volunteered to remove the debris in the disputed land
which led to a tense situation followed by large-scale violence with one
group setting fire to several vehicles, pelting stones on passers-by,
attacking commercial establishments. Miscreants went on rampage and
attacked the passers-by with lethal weapons resulting in injuries to many.
Adding fuel to the fire, rumours were purposefully floated by mischief
mongers that the mosque in the controversial site had been demolished.
The fundamentalists brutally butchered one police constable, Shri
Satyanarayana of Tilak Nagar police station. Later they pelted stone at a
passenger bus killing a 55-year old man on Banneraghatta road. Besides this
marry vehicles including private cars were set on fire. The police opened
fire to disperse the rampaging mobs killing one person.
According to the police version main reason for the outbreak of violence
was that while one group engaged in clearing up the earth, the other was
illegally digging a bore well in the disputed compound of the dargah. The
public objected to the illegal digging of borewell on the ground that the
court had ordered a status quo and directed that no new structure should
come up on the disputed site.
The police sources said that the trouble started at the peak hour around
5.30 p.m. when office-goers including women in large numbers were returning
to their housed. As soon as one section started clearing operation, stones
were hurled at them and passers-by by fundamentalists from the mosque. But
it soon acquired monstrous proportion with both the sections started
attacking each other with lethal weapons and police and innocent public.
A staff photographer of Deccan Herald Shri Leonard Aarons was attacked by a
mob injuring him fataly.
The violence continued on September 18 and spread to other areas as well.
In Jayanagar, where the violence had erupted, some miscreants ransacked a
place of worship of Hindus and destroyed it. In Guruppanapalaya the
fundamentalists destroyed another temple and many houses of Hindus. In
Tilak Nagar, a textiles and some other business establishments were
destroyed and looted on and the labourers were assaulted. In Jayanagar the
miscreants set on fire many cars parked in residential complex and pelted
stones on houses.
Meanwhile BJP leaders came down heavily on the Government for not talking
adequate measures to contain the spreading violence in Jayanagar and
surrounding areas. BJP MLA Shri Suresh Kumar alleged that Shri M.F. Pasha
DCP (South) failed to control the violence which was spreading like a wild
fire. He asked the Government to suspend the police officers who failed to
execute their duty effectively and timely.
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