Mumbai: Demolition of ‘illegal’ mosque begins in Dharavi

Illegal portions of the mosque have been demolished. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

A week after protests erupted over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s plans to demolish illegal portions of the Mahboob-e-Subhaniya Mosque in Dharavi, the trustee of the mosque has initiated the removal of the disputed section.

Last week, tension flared in Dharavi when a crowd gathered in protest as the BMC arrived with bulldozers and manpower, preparing to demolish the illegal portions of the mosque. The protesters expressed outrage. To de-escalate the situation, the trustees assured both the authorities and the protesters that they would handle the matter themselves and requested additional time to make necessary adjustments.

IN PHOTOS: Unrest in Dharavi over demolition of Mehboob-e-Subani mosque

2 months agoPHOTO GALLERY

The trustees began pulling down the illegal section of the mosque on Monday afternoon. Attempts to reach the mosque's trustee for comment on the issue yielded no results, as they refused to provide any statement or comment on the matter.

Former Mumbai North East Member of Parliament, Kirit Somaiya visited Dharavi Police Station. In his address to the media, showing documented proof, he said, "The land where this mosque is being raised belonged to three independent individuals. A fourth individual bought the land from these three individuals and raised a structure in haste. Then a trust was formed and the structure was named to be a mosque. After filing a complaint, the BMC sent notice to the trustee and even reached the mosque with manpower to demolish it. Multiple individuals from Dharavi hit the road in a protest against this action by the BMC."

"The trustee of the mosque had requested the civic body for some time to demolish the structure by themselves. The demolition of the mosque has started today," he added. A civic official on condition of anonymity said, "All proceedings are being carried under the strict supervision of the authorities concerned."