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Muslim side contests stand of the govt on Idgah Maidan
Bengaluru: The controversy over the ownership of Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru city has taken a new turn with some members of the Muslim community contesting the government’s stand that the ground belongs to the city administration
Bengaluru: The controversy over the ownership of Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru city has taken a new turn with some members of the Muslim community contesting the government’s stand that the ground belongs to the city administration.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) last week issued a clarification that the Idgah Maidan in Chamarajpet is a BBMP playground and can be used by all communities.
The statement came after a right-wing organisation sought a clarification from the BBMP regarding the ownership status of the ground in Chamarajpet, which is popularly referred to as Idgah Maidan. Outfits like Hindu Janajagruthi Samithi and Sanathan Sanstha had demanded that they, too, be allowed to offer prayers on the playground as it belonged to the BBMP.
“This is a BBMP property, and the Joint Commissioner of the BBMP West Zone is the custodian,” BBMP special commissioner Harish Kumar said. “Muslims are allowed to congregate during Ramazan and Eid-ul-Zuha for prayers with permission of the Joint Commissioner, BBMP West Zone, as per the court order.”
During Eid-ul-Zuha, the Maidan is used for trading sheep and goats as farmers from Kolar, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapura, Mandya, Mysuru, and other districts bring them here for the festival. Similarly, the ground is open for religious ceremonies during the Ramzan.
The clarifications come after Hindu organisations raised a demand that the ground should be open to Hindu festivals as well. The Joint Commissioner can decide on allowing other activities including religious functions. “Anyone willing to use the property for any other purpose can send a proposal to the BBMP, which will examine the application and make a decision accordingly,” Kumar added.
However, a group of Muslims community has claimed that a case was filed by one Rukn-ul-Mulk S Abdul Wajid regarding the ownership of the land. The original suit filed in the early 1950s was dismissed by a munsiff court in the city; however on appeal, the civil judge, Bangalore, reversed the decision. The Corporation of the City of Bangalore went in for an appeal in the High Court of Mysore in 1959; however, the decision remained the same.
The case went to the Supreme Court in 1964. The land was had the Idgah as well as a Muslim burial ground. The SC said it didn’t find merit in the city administration’s claim of possession of the ground. The two-judge bench, observing that the Idgah and the graveyard have existed for a very long time, stated that the high court was justified in dismissing the corporation’s appeal over ownership, said a community member, who didn’t want to be named, adding that they have the relevant documents to prove the claim.
Meanwhile, BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said that a probe has been ordered into a khata issued with regard to the Eid tower at Idgah Maidan in Chamarajpet in the name of a non-existent Muslim dargah. Bhaskaran, an activist who sourced the documents through RTI, has filed a complaint asking how the BBMP could issue ownership documents in the name of a non-existent entity. According to the complaint, while only a tomb existed on the ground, permission to construct was given to a Dargah, which didn’t exist. The complaint had also questioned how permission to construct Idagh was given when the BBMP claims the land belonged to the civic agency.
