In what could lead to communal disharmony, a young self-proclaimed Hindu priest conducted pooja inside the Adina Mosque in the Malda district of West Bengal on Saturday, February 18.
According to local reports, the young man named Maharaj Hiranmoy Goswami is not a native of Malda. He, accompanied by several young men, came and conducted pooja inside the premises of the mosque.
The news soon spread to local Muslims who notified the Malda police. Upon receiving the information, the police rushed to the spot and stopped the puja, leading to an argument.
Adina Mosque comes under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Based on the ASI’s complaint an FIR was registered against Goswami.
The state secretary of All Bengal Imam Muezzin Association and Charitable Trust, Nizamuddin Biswas, condemned the act calling for strict action against Goswami and others.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA and Malda unit president Abdur Rahim Boxi said that the matter will be handled according to the law and appealed for communal harmony and peace. “We have discussed the issue. Police have appealed for religious harmony. The administration has handled the matter assertively. No violence was reported,” he was quoted by The Telegraph.
Since the incident, additional police force have been deployed in order to maintain law and order.
The Adina mosque was built in 1369 by Sultan Sikander Shah. It was also called ‘Salami Gate’ as salutes were fired from its sides. Its construction reused materials from pre-Islamic Hindu and Buddhist structures. According to the List of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal, it is a ASI-listed monument.
