CUDDALORE: Tension flared in Chidambaram on Saturday following a protest over the administration of the Nawab Mosque on Lalgam Street.
According to local sources, a dispute between two groups regarding control of the mosque’s administration is currently before the court. One of the protesters said, “As the court had ordered that the administration be handed over to one group, the present Jamaat administrators staged a sit-in protest inside the mosque on Saturday.”
The Nawab Abdul Nabi Khan Masjid has been under the Jamaat’s management for nearly six decades. The mosque falls under the Wakf Board, and administration has so far been handled by mutawalli Abdul Waqaf and secretary E Mahaboob Hussein’s team. Administrators are elected once every three years.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Ubaidullah and Mohammed Ali have staked claim to hereditary rights as mutawallis and sought their inclusion in the management. The duo obtained an order from the Wakf Board recognising their right to administer the mosque, and subsequently approached the Madras High Court, which issued an interim order directing that the administration be handed over to the hereditary mutawalli group with police protection.
Opposing any handover before the final judgment, the Jamaat staged a sit-in demonstration inside the premises. As tensions rose between the groups, more than 100 police personnel were deployed under the supervision of Cuddalore District Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar.
SP Jeyakumar, Chidambaram Sub-Division DSP D Pradeep, Revenue Divisional Officer Kishan Kumar, and Inspectors K. Ambedkar and Sivanandan held negotiations with both sides. Following the talks, a compromise was reached. Police later escorted the Mohammed Ali group to assume charge of the administration in line with the court’s directive.
It was agreed that, until the High Court delivers its final verdict, only the seven newly appointed administrators may handle administrative responsibilities, while others should not interfere. The existing administrative team will continue to oversee the mosque’s day-to-day affairs during this period.
The crowd dispersed later, though police protection continues at the mosque.