Residents of the Kodavoour village of Karnataka’s famous temple city of Udupi have accused revenue department officials of being complicit in the illegal construction of a mosque on the land that was earlier occupied by a Jain basadi (temple).
The land, where a Jain basadi earlier existed, is now occupied by the Kalmath Masjid due to the encroachment done by the Muslim community. The issue, which has been rankling locals for decades, has caused them to bear deep resentment and distrust not only against the Muslim communities but also against the district administration.
Strangers to the area, who came from outstation places, built an illegal structure on this government land, completely ignoring the opposition of the local villagers. Locals say that the three Muslim families who live in the village of Kodavoor do not visit the illegal mosque. Only people who have migrated from other parts of the country are responsible for the construction of the building and have eroded the harmony of the area.
Adjacent to the land on which the illegal structure has been built is the Panchadhoomavati Daivasthana, a Hindu shrine.
The building, which is built illegally, does not have a door number either.
Due to the tense relations between the Hindu and Muslim communities over this issue, a police vehicle has been stationed on a permanent basis near the illegal structure.
District administration complicit in illegality, say villagers
The villagers have been fighting against this issue for decades. The controversial issue is in the inquiry stage in the local court as well as the Wakf court of Mysuru. Locals allege that even before the verdict is out, 67 cents of the encroached land were transferred to the administrative committee of the Kalmath Masjid due to pressures applied from certain higher quarters.
People who built the structure had presented a board certificate in the court stating that the disputed land has been with them since the ancient times when the country was ruled by kings. However, the court had quashed their argument saying that the certificate presented to the court was fake.
Kodavoor villagers have also alerted their elected representatives to the issue, in addition to fighting legal battles. However, it has been of no avail.
The villagers are rightfully enraged as the disputed land, along with the land that belongs to the Daivasthana, has been transferred to the mosque.
Earlier, when some local agriculturists had approached the revenue department for the Kumki rights of the same land, they were told that Kumki rights are not given in the city area. Kumki land is defined as government wasteland where certain privileges like right to collect minor produces like timber for domestic use and to cultivate fodder for cattle are enjoyed by the neighbouring cultivators. But now, all of a sudden, the land has been given to a private company. This has aroused suspicions in the minds of the villagers.
Day by day, the situation in the area is becoming tense. The locals are accusing the former deputy commissioner (DC) and tahsildar of having colluded in the illegal act. The current DC has even written a letter to his superiors to cancel the notification and correct the mistake.
Responding to these allegations, Usman Saheb, president of the Kalmath administrative committee said, “This building was built during the time of Tipu Sultan. From 1908, the government was giving Tasdeeq. Even now the Tasdeeq is given once in four months. This building is recognised by the government also. This mosque was closed for some years. In 1993, the land was surveyed and survey number 53/6 is given to this 67-cent land.”
“Many times, the Dhoomavathi protest committee had filed petition against the mosque in the court. But the court has quashed all petitions. The petition which is filed at Mysuru against the registration of the building is under discussion now. In the midst of this, though the Dhoomavathi protest committee raised IA (Interlocutory Application) saying that this issue belongs to the revenue department and should be decided in the court of DC and not in the Wakf court, it did not materialize”, he said.
“Application for RTC was filed through Wakf board through assistant commissioner (AC) and tahsildar. In 2017, land verification was done and the AC signed the same and sent it to the DC. In 2018, this was sent to Wakf ministry as this property is that of Wakf for gazette notification. In 2020, gazette notification on the land was taken out. In January 2021, this land that belonged to the government was transferred to the mosque. We also got the RTC”, Usman added.
“Locals are giving various reasons and preventing people from holding namaz in the mosque. In addition, the protest committee has also threatened to demolish the structure. This is a conspiracy to shut the mosque. Namaz is being offered in this mosque for the last 40 years. Hindu devotees are holding their religious programmes within the 67 cents of land. We do not obstruct them. The Hindu committee should not obstruct our people from offering prayers. We have informed the police department also in the wake of maintaining law and order”, he said.
Local municipal councillor Vijay Kodavoor further clarified on the subject and said, “None of the local Muslims offer namaz in the mosque that is constructed on the disputed land. Certain Muslims arrive from faraway places to offer namaz. It can be clearly observed that there was a Jain basadi on this land earlier. Pushkarini wells can also be seen. The government land, which did not have any RTC since so many years, is given one in favour of the administrative committee of mosque. This is illegal. The land should be returned to the government. If this issue is not set right, we will resort to fierce protests.”
DC G Jagadeesha said, “The issue has come to my notice. This land does not belong to Wakf. That is why, from the district administration, we have written to the government to denotify the land. Now it is under process.”
Locals say that the concerned department should arrive at a conclusion on this issue before it disturbs the communal harmony.
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