Jaipur, April 29: A contentious ‘fatwa' issued by the Imam of the Gulmandi Jama Masjid in Bhilwara that formed the basis for sale of the century-old roofless mosque at Pur village to Jindal Saw Limited, and its consequent demolition last week, has emerged as the bone of contention between the Rajasthan Waqf Board and its detractors. Muslim groups demanding removal of Waqf Board Chairman Liaqat Ali Khan alleged here on Saturday that the deal with the company, owned by the O. P. Jindal Group, was finalised at the “highest political level” in the State to make way for mining of newly detected iron ore. The mosque was situated atop a hill containing the mineral wealth worth hundreds of crores.
The Rajasthan Mansoori Panchayat and the Naik Pathan Society of Pur have demanded cancellation of the mining lease granted to the company in Bhilwara district. “The political clout [enjoyed] by the Jindal Group in Congress-ruled Rajasthan is too obvious to be ignored. Lured by money, the powerful mining lobby has connived with the State's topmost political leadership to facilitate its hassle-free operations in the mineral-rich areas,” alleged Mansoori Panchayat president Abdul Latif Arco.
Jindal Saw Limited paid Rs. 65 lakh to the Anjuman Committee of Pur in settlement to make way for mining and demolished the mosque on April 19. Mr. Arco said while the company obtained a receipt for Rs.65 lakh from the Anjuman, a “much bigger” amount had allegedly exchanged hands between the company representatives, ruling party leaders and Waqf Board functionaries.
Mr. Khan, who allegedly gave the “green signal” for razing the mosque, has tried to shift the blame to the Imam, Maulana Hafeez-ur-Rehman, saying he had issued a “deceptive” fatwa declaring that the mosque was a cluster of graves which could be shifted. But the structure has been registered as a mosque in the Waqf records as well as in the 1965 State Gazette.
Maulana Hafeez-ur-Rehman, whose name figures in the first information report registered in the case, told The Hindu from Bhilwara that the ancient structure “as a matter of fact comprised old and dilapidated graves” of Muslims who could have been travellers who died during journey. “I visited the hilltop at Pur after getting a written request from the Anjuman for my opinion. I did not find any evidence showing that the structure [once] functioned as a mosque. The platform seemed to be having a bunch of graves under it. The wall on western side showed no indication of religious embellishments.”
The Maulana said that as the “cluster of graves” faced the threat of destruction by mining, he recommended that they be shifted to another place. In his fatwa, he also cited a precedent of 1933, when the Grand Mufti of Iraq recommended the shifting of 1,300-year-old graves of the Prophet's companions, Huzaifah and Jabir-bin-Abdullah, situated on the banks of the Tigris.
The 57-year-old Maulana rejected the criticism by Muslim groups that he, not being a Mufti, was not empowered to issue a juristic ruling concerning the Shariah: “I am well versed in Islamic laws and a large number of people come to me regularly to get my opinion on different subjects. There is nothing unusual about Anjuman approaching me for this.”
Maulana Hafeez-ur-Rehman admitted that he was present at the Pur site when the structure was pulled down. “I wanted to ensure that bones and other remains excavated from graves are treated with respect and are carried away with proper rituals,” he said. However, the Jindal demolition team did not find any such remains.
The district administration has started reconstructing the mosque at its original location after arresting four persons on charges of defiling the place of worship under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code and recovering the money paid to the Anjuman. The accused include Jindal Saw Limited director, Anjuman functionaries and the driver of the hydraulic machine who demolished the mosque.
A Bhilwara court rejected their bail applications even as the matter was raised in the Assembly on the last day of the Budget session.
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