Hyderabad: Even as the Police continue to remain vigilant to prevent any recurrence of violence around Ek Khana Mosque in Amberpet, questions are surfacing over who, other than the alleged owner of the land, benefitted from the sale of land to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation for road expansion.
Though there was no dispute between the local Muslims and the Hindus over mosque, how could it turn into communal conflagration?
The mosque and the ashoorkhana are from the Qutb Shahi period which also means that they would over 300 years old. There are several such small mosques and ashoorkhanas in the city and its outskirts which have been illegally occupied by some people. Many of them are in disuse.
“The entire episode surrounding Ek Khana Masjid reeks with unanswered questions. If the dispute has to be resolved the answers should be found for deep rooted corruption in the Telangana State Wakf Board, its incompetence to intervene beforehand and the involvement of land grabbers,” Sheikh Mohiuddin, a local resident said.
According to locals the small mosque and the equally small ashoorkhana behind it have been closed for public for the last about four decades. No one then bothered to find out who have stopped people to visit the mosque or the other religious shrine. The question which is being asked is: How could GHMC buy the religious places. Also, how could it go ahead with the demolition drive without getting clearance from the Wakf Board? Is it the callousness of the GHMC which is said to have paid Rs 2.60 crore for the “property”. For sure that is public money.
To make this ugly episode uglier BJP MLA Raja Singh decided to visit the site on Sunday and pick up argument with the people and the officials. Who had been wanting the demolition of the mosque followed by its reported reconstruction should be turned into a flash point to trigger communal conflagration?
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has to order a high level enquiry into the whole episode and punish the guilty.
He has also got to clear the mess called State Wakf Board which is allegedly being run by touts and unscrupulous elements while a few officials try to stem the rot.