The discovery of a Shivling in the disputed structure of the Gyanvpi Masjid in the state of Uttar Pradesh has become a contentious issue with the Hindus celebrating the court-monitored survey and the Islamists deliberately demeaning it. The central intelligence agencies are reportedly keeping a close watch on the activities of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and its executive member Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas who constituted a legal committee to review the details of the Gyanvapi mosque case.
The AIMPLB board on May 18 decided to provide legal aid to the maintenance body of the Gyanvapi Mosque, Intezamia Masjid Committee and its lawyers in the case. It also decided to launch a nationwide agitation if necessary to apprise the public about the alleged real intention of people creating disputes over places of worship.
According to the reports, the Central Intelligence Agencies are concerned about the security of the land and are keeping a track of the activities of the board and its members. The escalated interest of the Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas in the Gyanvapi case is a point of concern, the officials said. Ilyas was also associated with the Babri Masjid Action Committee and had been issuing statements on its behalf.
The agencies, meanwhile, have also flagged Ilyas, who is the father of JNU activist and Delhi anti-CAA riots accused Umar Khalid, for his past association with the Islamic Terrorist organization SIMI, and the Welfare Party of India (WPI). Reportedly, the agencies also see WPI as the political wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.
All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Gyanvapi case
In the Gyanvapi case, Ilyas, Executive Member of AIMPLB, has been pressing his argument based on the provisions of the Places of Worship Act. In an exclusive interview with the Indian Express, he said on May 21 that since the Places of Worship Act has come into being in 1991, there is simply no space for controversy regarding any place of worship. “It had been unanimously decided and passed in Parliament, with even the support of the BJP, that after Babri Masjid, such matters would be put to rest. It is extremely disheartening that the lower court permitted the survey”, he was quoted.
He disrespected the court orders and accused it of favouring one particular side in the case. He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of distracting people from issues like rising prices, unemployment, and the health issues brought to light by the pandemic. “It is regrettable that the central government and the state governments are silent on this. Apart from this, the political parties who call themselves secular parties are also keeping silent”, he said on behalf of the AIMPLB.
About Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas and son Umar Khalid
It is important to note that Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas is a former member of the banned Islamic Terrorist organization, SIMI. He had left it in 1985, well before Umar Khalid was born. In the year 2019, he also contested the Lok Sabha Elections from West Bengal on a ticket from the Welfare Party of India (WPI) from the Jangipur constituency, a Muslim-dominated seat in the Murshidabad district. The former SIMI member is now a member of the Central Advisory Council of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and AIMPLB.
Khalid, son of Ilyas on the other hand had become the prominent face of the Anti-Hindu riots in Delhi in 2019. He admitted to the Delhi police that he was involved in organizing Muslim groups, instigating them, and preparing for the large-scale violence.
He had mobilized the Muslims against the law, by asserting that the new law was ‘against Muslims’ and had also planned to involve women and children in the ‘Chakka Jam’ amid the visit of the US President Trump to India. He had allegedly met the former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain and another accused Khalid Saifi to assure logistical support during the riots through his contacts in the PFI.
According to the reports, the agencies have been watching and warning the nexus between Maoists whose front organization Khalid is aligned with, and hardline Islamists allegedly represented by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Welfare Party of India, and banned outfit SIMI.
