Entry into the 136-year-old Bankara Masjid (Gauripur Jama Masjid), located in the operational area of Kolkata Airport, has been stopped indefinitely. Airport officials said on Sunday (July 12) that allowing entry only on the basis of Aadhaar card is not considered right from security point of view. The Muslim community has expressed displeasure regarding this decision.
On Saturday, officials had said that the road leading to the mosque has been damaged due to rain, due to which immediate repair is needed, hence the traffic till Gauripur Jama Masjid will remain closed for two days. He also said that if the repairs are completed on time, devotees will be allowed to offer namaz from Monday. But the situation changed on Sunday.
Admission stopped after objection from BCAS
A senior Kolkata airport official said, ‘The repair work has been completed, but at present permission for offering prayers in the mosque cannot be given due to security concerns raised by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).’
Till Friday, about 70 namazis were being allowed to offer namaz in the mosque at different times every day after showing their Aadhar card before the CISF deployed for airport security. On Sunday, CISF personnel deployed at Gate No. 8 (through which devotees used to enter the mosque) told the worshipers that they had not received any new instructions from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) regarding reopening of the gate.
Muslim community expressed displeasure
People of the Muslim community have expressed their displeasure regarding this decision of the administration. Namazi Abul Kalam said, ‘When I went on Sunday at 12:20 pm to find out when we could offer namaz again, I was told that the runway was under repair and entry would be restricted until further orders. The runway was repaired in a similar manner earlier also, but the prayers were never stopped. Why are the officials not explaining this issue clearly and why are they not telling how long this bandh will continue?’.
Former minister Siddiqullah Chaudhary, who is also the president of the West Bengal unit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, one of the mosque’s stakeholders, said he has written a letter to the airport director seeking clarity on when worshipers will be allowed to offer namaz again.
BCAS raised questions
BCAS had recently written a letter to the airport authorities questioning the practice of granting entry only on the basis of Aadhar card. Airport officials said they were awaiting new instructions on whether a new pass system would be implemented or entry to the mosque would be permanently closed to the general public.
Statement of BJP leaders
Meanwhile, local BJP MLA Saurav Sikdar claimed that the planned expansion of the secondary runway is being hindered due to the mosque. He alleged that the authorities had repeatedly offered the mosque committee an alternative site, but the committee was not ready to relocate. Union Minister Sukant Majumdar said, ‘Earlier no government used to take action due to appeasement politics. Our government does not believe in this. What is the big deal in shifting the mosque to another place?
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