By Muslim Mirror Staff Writer,
New Delhi: The controversy over the ancient Eidgah at Mehurli’s Chattarpur area was resolved on Friday amicably after the farm-house owner agreed to rebuild the Eidgah which was demolished by him on Tuesday. The reconstruction work of the Eidgha was also started in the presence of local Muslims and social and religious leaders. In this whole sordid episode, however, the Delhi Waqf Board’s role seems to be dubious as it did not take the matter seriously and even the Waqf board chairman did not visit the spot till date.
In a written agreement, farm house owner Mahendra Aggrawal, who is also illegally occupying the graveyard land which is spread over more than seven bigha, admitted his mistake and promised to rebuild the Eidgha and make a 15 feet wide pathway for accessing the Eigha from the main road as he built a high boundary wall encircling the grave-yard and eidgha.
A delegation of Muslim organization led by Welfare party of India’s general secretary Dr S Q R Ilyas visited the spot. Talking to Muslim Mirror, Dr Ilyas said without Waqf board’s connivance, the farm house owner would not have dared to demolish the Eidgha. He pointed that owner has erected the boundary walls around the graveyard and eidgha in order to grab the waqf land but the Waqf Board did not swing into action that amply shows its culpability in the crime. Had not been the local Muslims’ alert, he (owner) would have grabbed the waqf land. Dr Ilyas asked why the Board has allowed the owner to build a boundary wall despite knowing that the land belongs to the old graveyard. Why the Board did not lodged a complaint against the owner for the crime as under the new amended Waqf law, the trespassing and harming wakf property is a non-bailable crime, he asked.
Maualna Abdul Jabbar, who leads prayer at a nearby mosque in Sultanpuri area, told Muslim Mirror that the farmhouse owner has been eyeing on the Eidgah land for quite some time. Muslim Samaj Samiti president Imran Khan, who played key in bringing the issue to the fore, said he had inkling of the happenings for quite some time and had also written to the Delhi Waqf Board, Delhi Police Commissioner, Delhi Municipal Corporation and DC expressing local Muslims’ fears but no action was taken. He also criticized the role of police which instead of registering an FIR have questioned their motives by asking, ‘Who are you to interfere in this matter?’ and asked them to leave at once. After local Muslims protest, the SHO got the Eidgah photographed. Despite all this, on Tuesday morning, Mahendra Aggarwal commissioned bulldozers and got it demolished.
After Board’s inaction, local Muslims approached community leaders Hafiz Jived, Shahid Ali of Muslim United Front and others. They hammered out an agreement with Aggarwal as he promised to bear all expenses of rebuilding Eidgha. He told the delegation that his father Babu Lal Aggarwal had approached the Waif board to demarcate its land some two year back but nobody from it came here of which he claims 2800 sq yards area.
Eight and grave yard having area of 7,000 square yards is situated at Farm No 16, Oslo Drive, near Mehrauli, while the four walls and the other structures were built with old stones. The Delegation, comprised of Haryana and Delhi unit of Jamaat Islami Hind’s office bearer Inamur Rehman, social activist Qazi Mohammad Miyan and journalist Abdul Bari Masoud, has demanded that the Lieutenant Governor should take stern action the Delhi Waqf for its dereliction of duties as it failed to protect an ancient Eidgha.
Waqf Board Land scam must greatest of the country. Authorities are unconcerned.This need to be investigated.