Right-wing group threatens to demolish mosque if built in Mumbai's Ulwe, stages protest

The protestors threatened to intensify their agitation and demolish the mosque when constructed if their demand of shifting the holy place is not accepted.

Navi Mumbai: The Sakal Hindu Samaj (SHS), a right-wing organisation, on Saturday, staged a protest and a bandh in the developing node of Ulwe against the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO)’s proposed allotment of a plot for a mosque. Hundreds of people participated in the ‘Jan Akrosh Morcha’ against what the protestors termed ‘Land Jihad’.

The protesters were raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ alogans and against CIDCO as shops in the way from Sector 4 to the CIDCO office downed shutters on Saturday. (Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO)

The protestors threatened to intensify their agitation and demolish the mosque when constructed if their demand of shifting the holy place is not accepted. They made their way from Sector 4 to the CIDCO office located in Sector 19 raising slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and against CIDCO as shops in the area downed shutters.

“Ulwe has a majority of Hindu residents, with hardly a few Muslims. We cannot allow a mosque here. Why should we have to hear their Azaan calls from the loudspeaker every two hours? Hindus of castes have awakened and hence we have all united today to oppose the mosque plot,” Rajendra Patil, a member of SHS, said.

CIDCO’s plot offer is an appeasement policy towards the Muslim community and the residents of the area will not allow it, he said, adding, “If MLA Mahesh Baldi wants to appease the Muslims, he can build a mosque in Uran. We condemn his action of supporting the allotment of the plot.”

“We have filed a writ petition in the court against this plot offer. We will go to any length to ensure a mosque is not constructed, even taking the law into our hands. This is just a trailer now to send a strong message to CIDCO. If it does not cancel the allotment, we shall demolish the mosque,” Patil said.

CIDCO has reportedly offered a plot in sector 19 on lease for a mosque to any local Project-affected persons (PAP) trust as per its policy of allotting plots for religious places of all communities in every node that it develops. Uran independent MLA Baldi, a BJP supporter, had in a meeting recently with CIDCO, asked for the plot to be issued for the community.

Baldi refused to comment on the matter.

Narendra Patil, BJP mathadi leader, who participated in the protest claimed that large-scale ‘Land Jihad’ is taking place in Ulwe and a few anti-social elements are trying to spread their religion in that area.

“It does not make sense to allot a plot for another community in a Hindu majority area. It can be given where that community is in majority,” he added. “The state chief minister, deputy chief minister and CIDCO should take serious note of this opposition and withdraw its order.”

A delegation of the protestors met CIDCO officials and submitted their memorandum of demands. CIDCO refused to comment on the opposition to the plot proposal.

Meanwhile, a social worker on the condition of anonymity questioned how a particular community can be denied their right to worship. “The court had in a similar case of Sanpada ruled that if there is even a single member of the community, he has the right to a place of worship. There are obviously hundreds of people of every community in Ulwe,” he said, adding that in Sector 9A, Vashi, one can see a mosque, temple, church and Gurudwara in a single lane.

“There are similar examples in other nodes also. There has never been a problem there or anywhere else in the city due to the places of worship,” added the social worker.