New Delhi: The Jaipur Development Authority on Monday launched a major anti-encroachment drive in the Jagatpura area to make way for a road-widening project. Five religious structures will be brought down, including the 44-year-old Noorani Mosque in Malviya Nagar, parts of which have already been demolished.
Security in the area has been beefed up with about 3,000 policemen and units of the RAF deployed to prevent any untoward incidents. Authorities have suspended Internet services in parts of Jaipur until Tuesday while gathering of more than five people has also been prohibited, according to reports.
The demolition drive has been launched to widen a stretch on Nandpuri Road, which runs parallel to a railway line near Nandpuri Underpass. The 30-feet wide road, between Jagatpura and Jawahar Circle, will be widened to 80 feet.
Besides the Noorani mosque, two temples, a shrine, and a satsang hall will also face action.
The 44-year-old mosque
The Noorani mosque was built in 1981 and prayers were being held there regularly. Members of the Muslim community and the mosque committee have opposed the demolition and had held a discussion on Sunday.
At the meeting, Congress MLA Rafeek Khan said the mosque was built on purchased land after people pooled in money.
After receiving the demolition notice from the JDA on 5 June, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Rajasthan issued a report raising concerns over the proposed action.
As per the report, the mosque is built on around 391 square yards of land, which was bought on 2 July 1981 by Abdul Rahman Mansuri. Later, people from the Muslim community in the locality contributed funds to build the mosque, which had been in use since then for regular prayers and other religious occasions.
The report also stated that the mosque was registered with the Rajasthan Waqf Board on 28 April 1988 and the mosque committee had paid development charges to the JDA in 1994.
The APCR said that during their assessment, it was found that the mosque was not declared illegal by any government authority since it was built.