Madhya Pradesh: Tension prevailed at the Hazrat Khwaja Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti Dargah in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, after a crowd raised slogans of “Bhojshala jhaki hai, Kashi, Mathura baki hai,” and a Muslim crowd responded with chants of ‘Allah Hu Akbar.’
This comes amid controversy surrounding the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex in the city, which was declared a temple by the Madhya Pradesh High Court on May 15.
The order established the complex as a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi and quashed an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order that had allowed Muslims to offer namaz at the site on Fridays.
Before the verdict, Hindus were allowed to worship at the medieval monument only on Tuesdays, while Muslims had been offering Friday prayers there for years. Both communities claim rights over the site.
‘Maha aarti’ held on Friday for the first time in two decades
On May 22, the first Friday after the verdict, hundreds of Hindu devotees had gathered at the complex for a “maha aarti”, an event which Hindu groups described as the first large-scale Friday worship at the site in more than two decades.
Meanwhile, members of the Muslim community offered Friday namaz in the courtyards of their homes and private premises wearing black bands as a mark of protest.
Local Muslim leader Abdul Samad said the community respected the High Court’s verdict but was not satisfied with the decision.
Samad said a petition challenging the High Court order had been filed in the Supreme Court, and he expressed hope of getting justice.
He also objected to the administration’s decision to cancel permission for offering Friday namaz at the Kamal Maula Mosque portion of the complex.
(With inputs from PTI.)
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Saleha Fatima | 
