Kolkata airport mosque row: Prayer curbs trigger political clash over security and religious rights

The suspension of prayers at the Bankra mosque at Kolkatarsquos Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport for the past few days by the authorities has snowballed into a major controversy leading to a war of words between the ruling party and the OppositionThe authorities while stopping entry passes for congregational prayers at the mosque cited heightened security concerns as the reason but the matter took a political turn with questions raised over access and religious rightsA string of BJP leaders from Bengal ministers to the state party chief backed the move to curb prayers at the mosque stating that shifting the religious structure was essential for airport expansion and security Opposition parties however called this an infringement of the religious rights of minorities accusing the new BJP govt of lsquoreligious interferencersquoNotably the 136yearold mosque is situated near the airport about 165 metres from the main runway It has long been identified as a potential concern for airport operations and emergency responsesTMC MP Saugata Roy speaking to IANS said there had never been an issue for five decades but the new BJP govt was using it to further its political agendaTaking exception to the removal of Bankra mosque he said ldquoI am against it The local people do not want the mosque to be removed I have always said that if the local Muslim community disagrees then a decision regarding the mosque can be taken It should not be done forcibly as it concerns peoplersquos religious faith That is why the mosque has not been removed for the last 50 years The issue of removing it has come up only after the BJP came to powerrdquoCPI M leader Hannan Mollah echoed similar sentiments and said that security concerns must be addressed without restricting access to religious sitesMany BJP leaders supported the move saying security considerations must take precedence over all other issuesEarlier West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari justified the move saying that national security and the airports security will take priority over everything elseWe have not stopped anyone from practising their religion unlike what they said about us Bakrid Eid alAdha was observed adhering to animal slaughter laws Muharram was observed without brandishing weapons and there was no problem Obey the law and act as good citizens the Chief Minister said on SundayUnion Minister Sukanta Majumdar also backed CM Adhikari saying It is a longpending issue When I used to study in college and the Left Front government was in power that time I had read in the newspaper that due to a mosque the landing area that is in the airport where the plane lands it cannot be increased for a new runwayRiju Dutta the suspended TMC leader also supported the shifting of the mosque from the highsecurity zoneThe mosque inside Kolkata Airport is 130 years old But the issue now is one of national security It is located near the runway and no runway extension is taking place there One must understand that Kolkata Airport is an international airport located near the borders of Bangladesh and China The countrys Prime Minister Home Minister and other VIPs travel through this airport Therefore there is a security concern here That is why the central government state government and the Airport Authority have decided to relocate the mosque he statedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever