On Monday, 30th September, BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) started to raze down the illegal expansion of the Mahboob-e-Subhaniya Mosque in Mumbai’s Dharavi after the Municipal Corporation authorities reached the place to take action over the structure. The razing efforts focused on a minaret which was surrounded by a green curtain while wooden supports were already dismantled.
According to the reports, the process of demolition began in a very peaceful manner after the Trust that looks after the Mosque employed workers to take down the illegally expanded part of the Mosque.
Dharavi Shubhania Masjid Demolition started
— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) September 30, 2024
धारावी सुभानी मशीद पाडण्यास सुरुवात झाली. @BJP4India pic.twitter.com/haBUjZy99e
The controversy over the illegal expansion erupted on September 21st, after the mosque committee sought a week to remove the illegal portion of the structure themselves. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared the mosque’s 20-foot minaret illegal.
Tensions in the region rose earlier that day when thousands of Dharavi residents came to the streets to protest the BMC’s demolition plans. Protesters blocked municipal officials from entering the road where the mosque is located, resulting in a standoff. Crowds gathered outside the Dharavi police station, blocking roads and expressing their dissatisfaction.
Reports suggest that three people were arrested during the protests for disrupting government activity, inciting disturbances, and also damaging public property. According to police investigations, multiple aggressive social media messages from unknown accounts encouraged widespread participation in the Dharavi protests against BMC. As a result, an estimated 5,000 Islamists assembled, with many of them apparently traveling from beyond the immediate vicinity.
During the demonstration, two Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) vehicles were vandalized, with the front glass shattered by bamboo sticks and stones.
#Mumbai: Dharavi Tensed, Mob Stops BMC Team From Mosque Demolition, Police On Spot
— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) September 21, 2024
The situation is now under control, with members of various communities, including local Hindus and Muslims, appealing for peace at the scene. The police administration's swift action has… pic.twitter.com/UAxvNl2Emg
The large assembly also created significant traffic disruptions. However, the Dharavi police and traffic police were able to clear the roads by making loudspeaker announcements. The action of Monday began after the BMC official came over for inspection and sought the removal of illegal expansion. The Mosque earlier had promised that it would take down the illegal expansion, but eventually failed to. The demolition work began today, approximately five days after the deadline for the promise passed.
It is believed that the Mosque in question is an old Mosque built in the year 1988 and the illegal expansion of the said structure happened only during the COVID times. Earlier the Mosque consisted only of a ground floor but later it added another floor. Recently, during the COVID-19 spread, the Trust members illegally built the dome and another floor over the old structure. The Hindus protested several times against the illegal structure in the past. But the recent action only erupted after BJP’s Prasad Lad complained about the matter to the authorities.
The Muslims residing in the region are still busy protesting against the removal of illegal expansion saying that there are many other structures apart from the Masjid that have been illegally expanded, but the government is just trying to remove the illegal structure built over the Masjid. “This seems deliberate. Earlier we used to pray inside the Masjid, now if the Masjid is being removed, we’ll pray wherever we find the place,” one of the Muslims was heard talking to India TV.
The removal of the illegal structure atop the Mosque is still underway.
