Hindu groups protest against ‘mosque’

NEW DELHI: Old Delhi area was fraught with tension on Friday, as radical Hindu groups gathered to protest against the building of a mosque at the purported site of 17th-century Akbarabadi Masjid in Subhash Park. They shouted slogans demanding that the “illegal structure” built by locals be razed. Muslims from the area were barred from entering the Subhash Park ground, which has been sealed in accordance with orders by Delhi high court.Heavy police presence on the streets and traffic restrictions prevented any untoward
incident.
“The building of the mosque at Subhash Park is encroachment of public land, and the government cannot look the other way. They will have to punish those who have dared to do so. Otherwise, we will also take over the Red Fort premises and build our own temple there,” said Surendra Nath Avadhut, president, All India Saints’ Committee. He added, “People have said saints should not get on autos and rickshaws, like we did during last week protests, but we will do whatever it takes to register our protest if a mosque is allowed to come up on the site.” About 1,000 people, mostly saints from Haridwar and Haryana, had gathered for the protest.
There was tension in the area when several thousands of Muslims from different parts of the city gathered at Jama Masjid to offer Friday prayers. Five companies of Rapid Action Force and Delhi Police officers had been deployed on the main road and streets in the Walled City. Netaji Subhash Chandra Marg, which connects Old Delhi with the rest of the city, was closed for about two hours — from 12pm to 2pm — causing inconvenience to locals.