On November 29, they were met by protesting students when they came for their usual Friday prayers at the mosque on the premises of Udaya Pratap College (also known as UP College). On December 4 Students again gathered at the gate to recite Hanuman Chalisa.
The protests, which came amid violence at the Sambhal mosque and as a string of cases seeking a survey of mosques and shrines reignited debate across the country, put the spotlight on the little-known mosque, which is about 10 km from the mosque. District headquarters. The mosque has been closed since last week’s protests, with two locks on the doors. The imam of the mosque, Ghulam Rasool, has been idle since the headmaster filed a case following the protest on November 29. Mosque officials said they were awaiting instructions from the administration and police to resume prayers. A heavy police force has been deployed outside the gate of the mosque and the main gate of the college. Access to the campus is strictly regulated and only those with a valid college ID card are allowed entry.
The district administration and the police said that since the land on which the mosque was built was recorded as UP College property in the revenue records, they could do little to interfere in the matter. UP Sunni Central Waqf Board has also clarified that this land does not come under Waqf property.
District Magistrate S Rajalingam said, “The entire land is recorded in the revenue records as UP College property, indicating that it is a private land. There is no mention of a mosque in the revenue records.
However, the mosque authorities denied that the land on which the mosque is built belongs to UP College. They said they are currently collecting documents related to the ownership of the land and claim that the mosque is one of two built by the “Nawab of Tonk” in Varanasi in the mid-19th century.
“In 1867, the British deposed Muhammad Ali Khan, the Nawab of Tonk, Rajasthan, and detained him in Varanasi. After his release, the British forbade him to return to Tonk or any part of Rajasthan. The Nawab built two mosques in Varanasi in the mid-19th century. The mosque is one of two and the other is located 500 meters away. Since then prayers are offered five times a day in both mosques Six,” said Mohammad Nazir, former mutawalli or caretaker of the campus mosque.
Current Mutawalli Mohammad Azam said, “People from neighboring areas came to the mosque to offer namaz. 25-30 people used to come daily and on Fridays this number increases to 200.”
Dharmendra Kumar Singh, principal of the college, said it was originally a mazar (tomb). “Despite the repeated objections of the students, the mazaar that was there continued to expand. Students have staged protests in the past but our timely intervention ensured that this did not come to the attention of outsiders. The last renovation in the mosque was in 2012,” he said.
The college has recently cut the power supply to the mosque.
As to why things turned acrimonious this time, Singh pointed to the revival of a 2018 notice allegedly issued by the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board that went viral on social media in the last week of November. The notice, addressed to the college manager, sought a response to the claim of a resident of Varanasi, that the land on which the mosque was built was waqf property and should be registered. However, the Waqf Board later clarified that the notification was canceled by the order of its chairman on January 18, 2021. “No further action is in progress in this regard,” the board said.
Israr Khan, 25, who lives about 100 meters from the mosque and works in a saree shop, claimed that there was a “deliberate attempt by the college authorities” to prevent them from offering prayers at the mosque. Heading towards another mosque, he said, ‘Now the situation has become such that when one goes there to offer namaz, one fears for one’s safety.
Back on campus, students say they are determined not to allow prayers to resume at the site.
Abhishek Singh, former president of the UP College Students Union, said, “We cannot allow outsiders to enter the campus to pray, especially since the college is co-educational and women also study here. Moreover, prayer interrupts our studies. “
Varanasi Deputy Commissioner of Police Chandrakant Meena assured that police forces have been deployed and the situation is under control.
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