NEW DELHI: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Wednesday asked the Delhi Police to stop unauthorised construction at the dargah of 14th century sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya.
In a letter written to Station House Officer (SHO) of Nizamuddin Police station, it was stated that one of the sajjada nashins (hereditary administrator) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s dargah, Kamaal Nizami, had started illegal construction on the “land of centrally protected monument known as Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin, which is an ‘encroachment’ on the government land.”
The letter further said that an FIR against alleged unauthorised construction on the campus of the shrine had already been lodged on May 31. An official of the ASI, privy to the development, said that an FIR had been lodged and the police had not initiated action so a letter was sent to the SHO on Wednesday.
“The Dargah people are constructing a wuzukhana (place for ablution) illegally just 10 feet from the sanctum sanctorum,” he added.
However, Sajid Nizami, nephew of Kamaal, who is also a trusty at the shrine, said the report of illegal construction is wrong, only wuzukhana was being repaired.“It was an old construction, which was about to collapse. Because of constant seepage, T-iron in the ceiling had corroded. So, the roof was being reconstructed. Moreover, the dargah is not a protected under ASI. Only tombs of Mughal princess Jahanara, Mirza Jahangir Babar (brother of last Mughal King Bahadur Shah Zafar), and another Mughal king Muhammad Shah Rangila, located in the vicinity, fall under the category of protected structure,” said Sajid.
He further claimed that people having vested interests are spreading wrong information. “The wuzukhana was constructed when Pakistan’s president Zia ul Haq visited the shrine around 1987. He
donated money for the same,” he added.