NEW DELHI: The imam of Race Course Mosque on Monday alleged that the authorities had asked him to vacate the premises within six days, amid fears of demolition. He claimed that the mosque’s electricity and water connections had been disconnected and all gates closed, making it difficult for worshippers to offer namaz.
Imam Mohammed Haroon, who has been associated with the mosque for nearly 40 years, said in a video circulated on social media that the mosque’s electricity and water connections had been disconnected and all gates closed by the Land and Development Office (LNDO). He said the restrictions had made it difficult for worshippers to access the mosque and offer namaz. He also alleged that the Delhi Waqf Board had not provided assistance amid uncertainty over the Mosque’s future.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Amanatullah Khan, a former Waqf Board chairman, also raised concerns over the alleged demolition plan.
“The mosque predates Independence and is also on the NDMC’s heritage list. Tomorrow, I myself will go there,” Khan said in the video.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, led by its General Secretary, Maulana Muhammad Hakimuddin Qasmi, met Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and submitted a memorandum seeking urgent intervention to protect the mosque and the adjoining graveyard behind Safdarjung Tomb.
The memorandum, submitted on behalf of Jamiat president Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani, said the mosque features at serial number 22 on the NDMC’s heritage list and at serial number 18 in the 1977 Delhi Gazette. The organisation urged the minister to seek a detailed report from the concerned authorities and safeguard the mosque’s religious, historical and legal status.