AMN / New Delhi
Delhi Minorities Commission had issued a notice to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to explain how and why it occupied the land of Lal Masjid in CGO Complex area near Lodhi Road.
The CRPF had occupied a large part of the land on 26 February 2018 when it also caused damage to the mosque and adjacent graves.
According to DMC, CRPF said in its reply that it has been allotted the land by a competent authority and had occupied it only with the permission of the Delhi High Court. CRPF said that per HC order it has not touched the Lal Masjid or the adjacent graves.
Chairman of DMC, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, inspected the site personally on 28 February and again on 21 May. He found during the first visit that both power and water supplies were cut off and the ablution area (wuzukhana) was broken.
Now on the second visit, he found that power and water supplies have been restored and the ablution area was repaired. Wife of the caretaker of the mosque told Dr Khan that CRPF has joined the mosque’s water pipe to its supply line which is erratic as the CRPF jawans restore supply or cut it off at will. Lal Masjid’s electric supply has been connected to that of a hut on the site.
In the light of the inspection visit and CRPF replies, DMC has issued the following directives to CRPF: (1) Allow the mosque to connect to its original electric supply line; (2) allow uninterrupted water supply to the mosque from your source or allow the caretaker to reconnect to the previous Jal Board pipeline connection; (3) No changes should be made in the status quo. DMC has further directed CRPF to preserve the graves in the fenced area under its control and has also told it not to shut the access road to the mosque/graves. DMC order said, closure of the mosque access road in order to enlarge CRPF access road is a violation of the Hon’ble High Court’s order to maintain the status quo. DMC has directed CRPF to send its compliance report within two weeks of the receipt of its latest communication.