By Aditi Raja
As videos calling for a mass gathering at Bharuch’s historic Jami Masjid spread across social media, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has sounded an alarm, urging the district administration to prevent any gathering that could threaten communal harmony or damage the protected monument.
Signed by the superintending archaeologist of ASI Vadodara Circle, a letter dated June 10 (Wednesday) and addressed to the Bharuch collector and district magistrate, requests that “necessary steps” be taken to safeguard the Jami Masjid, a centrally protected monument, ahead of a “large gathering” planned by a right-wing organisation named Rashtriya Dharohar Sanrakshan Samiti.
The right-wing body has been coordinating signature drives and public events in Bharuch since May 18 as part of a “campaign to reclaim” the centuries-old mosque as a Jain religious site.
On Friday, over 2,000 people gathered at the mosque to offer Jummah prayers, which was at least four times the usual number, sources said. This was said to be in response to the call for a rally given by one Bhavesh Patel, who was convicted, and was out on bail, in the 2007 Ajmer Dargah blast, they added.
ASI letter
The letter, which has been accessed by The Indian Express, describes Bharuch Jami Masjid as a living “Monument of National Importance”, listed under the Gazette Notification dated May 26, 1909. The ASI letter refers to information it has received from Maulana Qureshi Gulam Mustafa, president of the Masjid, and notes that videos and messages circulating on social media platforms were calling on people to assemble in large numbers at the protected monument, and flagged the possibility of an untoward incident given the sensitive nature of the site.
The letter states, “…there is a possibility of a large gathering at the protected monument on June 15 and videos are getting viral in the social media platforms… As the monument is sensitive in nature, there is a likelihood of an untoward incident. Such gatherings may also pose a risk to the communal harmony and physical damage to the monument.”
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
