Elections in the largest state of India, Uttar Pradesh, are approaching fast. The atmosphere is thick with fear, suspicion and hate. The ruling dispensation is out to polarise and communalise the atmosphere and fish in the muddy waters of tension and hate.
Just at this moment a 150 years old functioning mosque in Saharanpur has been demolished onSeptember5. The communal and fascist forces are jubilant and ready that they may fish in the troubled waters.
The law has not been allowed to take its full course and the approach to higher courts has been blocked in a hurry. The district court had said that the mosque administration could not satisfactorily prove that the land of the mosque belonged to them. It had not ordered the demolition. A legal expert has commented that “Justice hurried is justice buried.”
It was not less than a battle scene on the night before the demolition of 150 years old fully functioning mosque in the Saharanpurcollectorate compound, which reportedly had been donated by two brothers Yaqub Khan and Wahid Khan. The same brothers had donated the land for the mosque, which now stands bulldozed.
Night before the demolition the whole area presented the scene of a battleground. The whole area was cordoned off and nobody was allowed to come out of his house. Police and other forces were ready to pounce upon any person who could have thought about any protest. The twoMPs, Iqra Hasan (Samajwadi Party) and Imran Masood (Congress) were virtually house-arrested and not allowed to speak to the officials.
The question which is widely being asked is why such hurry to demolish the mosque?The law should have been allowed to take a full course. After all, the district court had given a verdict but it had not ordered the demolition. In this way, the constitutional provisions and protection of law have been denied to the victim party. This shows that the prejudiced administration satisfied the blind supports of the ruling dispensation under the Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi. This is a clear case of dancing to the tunes of communal and fascist elements.
The whole controversy on the status of the mosque started with a petition by a member of the known militant outfit Bajrang Dal,which had initiated the controversy.
We are sure that the high court will do justice.If we fail to get justice there, the Supreme Court will hear the case and final judgement would be in the favour of the house of worship, in keeping with the highest standards of justice and rule of law.
The spirit of our Constitution assures every citizen and communitythe holding of rule of law. It is to be seen whether the House of God isrestored to its previous status.If so,another chapter would be written in the favour of the spirit of liberty, equality and fraternity.
The Muslims must act with utmost patience, dignity and self-restraint.They can see that the whole country is with them and truth will prevailand hate and injustice will fail, In Sha Allah.