MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada district administration on Thursday stopped the renovation of a centuries-old mosque in Malali near Ganjimutt on the outskirts of Mangaluru city after an old structure that had remained hidden for long emerged, which Hindutva outfits claimed it to be a temple.
Deputy Commissioner KV Rajendra said that after the front portion of the mosque was pulled down as part of the renovation, an old structure — which some said resembled a place of worship of “some other religion” — was discovered behind it. Soon, pictures of the rear structure went viral with people indulging in a debate over it on social media over what that hidden structure was.
The DC then rushed Mangaluru tahsildar Purandara to the spot, and the latter convinced the mosque management to stop the renovation works till the confusion was cleared, and security was beefed up at the mosque.
Later in the day, the DC in a statement said: “District administration is looking into the old land records and entries regarding the ownership details. We will get reports from both, the Endowment Department and the Waqf Board. We will check the veracity of the claims and take an appropriate decision very soon.” Until then, the DC said, he has instructed the stakeholders to maintain a status quo, while appealing to the public to maintain peace and not jump to conclusions.
‘Structure resembles a temple’
Meanwhile, president of Jumma Masjid, Mohammed Mamu, maintained that the structure in question was an old mosque which is being mistaken to be a temple. He said it was a nearly 900-year-old mosque and said there are land records to prove it. Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Sharan Pumpwell, who visited the spot, said the architecture of the structure resembled a temple and demanded an investigation into the same by the archaeological department.
He also urged the gram panchayat to cancel the license given to the mosque for the renovation works. However, former Mangaluru mayor K Ashraf said that in the olden days, mosques were built in a different style, much different from how today’s mosques are built.