Maharashtra: Mosque Sealed by Administration in Erandol After Hindutva Group Claims Land under Ancient Mahabharata Sites.

Under Wakf conspiracy, Historical Pandav wada sites are encroached on by the Jumma Mosque committee. ‘Disputed’ Mosque sealed by Dist Administration in Maharashtra as Hindutva groups protested.

Upendra Bharti | HENB | Jalgaon | July 15, 2023:: The Pandav wada (in Erandol town of Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district) sites, where the Pandavas spent incognito during their time in exile (ajnaatvas), are under Islamic encroachments. Due to the extreme apathy of Hindus, more than 125 years ago Muslims started to slowly encroach on Pandav wada and erected a Mosque within it claiming it as Wakf property.  Hindu organizations like Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) and Pandavwada Sangharsh Samiti have been fighting to restore the dignity and historicity of Pandavwada from the encroachments of the Wakf Board. While the main constructions of Pandavwada (like Jain and Hindu Temple style) is apparently 800-1000 yrs old, the disputed mosque has records of 100 years or a little more.

Now, the century-old disputed mosque has been temporarily sealed by the district administration following claims made by the agitating  Hindutva groups.

Hindutva groups allege that the mosque was constructed by demolishing a Hindu religious structure that has a mention in the epic of Mahabharata.

On the plea of agitating Hindu organizations, the district collector passed an interim order for restraining the namaz and other alleged activities run by the Pandavwada Jumma Masjid Committee.  The collector issued an order under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, immediately banning prayers on the premises. In the order, the collector also directed police deployment in the area. The collector asked the tahsildar to take charge of the mosque, which he described as “disputed”.

The ‘disputed’ and ‘illegal’  mosque presently became a site of controversy because of a complaint filed by an organization called “Pandavwada Sangharsh Samiti”. The complainant, Prasad Madhusudan Dandawate, moved a petition before the Jalgaon district collector Aman Mittal in the middle of May. The move was supported by  Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS).  In the complaint, it is claimed that the mosque was built over a Hindu place of worship and is illegal and should be taken over by the state authorities. The complainant also claims that the Jumma Masjid Trust has “illegally” encroached over the space destroying its Hindu character and structure.

Actually, the connected Wakf committee was engaged in the expansion of the Mosque in dispute in order to destroy the Hindu ambiance of Pandavwada as mentioned in the Mahabharata and local annals.

The HJS fact-finding team revealed that a  Jumma Masjid existed behind Pandav wada once upon a time. Due to heavy rainfall, the mosque collapsed in 1880 AD. The managing trust of the mosque then signed an agreement with the then-British government. A One rupee stamp paper bore testament to the agreement wherein the trust rented someplace from the government to store materials like fodder, wood etc for a period of 25 years. A two rupee rent per year was agreed upon.

Even though the agreement was limited to storage only, gradually many structures of historical importance were destroyed. Many stone pillars and window frames with intricate work were burnt or destroyed. Trees that were more than 150 years old were uprooted. With the intricate carvings chiseled out to ruin the Hindu-Jain sculptures, the pillars were reused to build platforms and shelters. The underground tunnels were blocked. All this was done without permission. Since Pandav wada came under the purview of the Ancient Monument Act, all this activity was a cognizable offense. When the Maintenance surveyor instructed the mamledar of Erandol to take action, a trustee of Jumma Musjid Sandekhan Rahimakha issued a written apology; the document is still available.

From the side of the Mosque committee, it is told, “The collector’s order to seal the mosque is illegal as the mosque stands on a registered waqf property. It’s only the Waqf tribunal that takes decisions with regard to Waqf properties. The collector has bypassed the waqf tribunal.”

In India, the Wakf Act and its Tribunal are the most dangerous thing for the purpose of ‘Land Jihad’.

As revealed by Sunil Ghanwat, a convenor of HJS in Maharashtra and Chhatisgarh and the key person of the organization relating to  ‘Reclaiming the Ancient Forts and Hindu-sites from Encroachments’, there was a total 4 lakh acres of land with Wakf boards as Wakf property in 2009. But, the lands have been increased to 8 lakh acres as of 2023 in a miraculous way. How can this happen without encroachment over other’s land?

In Tamilnadu, an entire village 0f Thiruchenthurai has been declared as Wakf property including a 1500-old Sundareswarar Chandrasekhara Swamy temple situated in the village. Under the menace of Wakf Act, it is so powerful to take over a 1500 yrs old  Hindu temple when Islam is only 1400 years old!

Due to the culpable Waqf law, many places like Dwarka Island and Surat Municipal Corporation in Gujarat; Chandrashekhar Azad Park in Prayagraj, Gyanvapi of  Varanasi, and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh have been declared as Waqf property. This aggression of Wakf must stop.

Sunil Ghanwat was addressing a press conference in Kohlapur on July 15 held under the banner of “Samasta Hindutvanisth Sangathana” to protest huge encroachments of properties by Wakf Boards in Jalgaon, Kohlapur, and many other places in Maharashtra and in the country.

In the press conference, the Vice President of Anti-corruption Janajagruti Samiti, Mr. Anandrao Pawal; District President of Hindu Mahasabha, Mr. Manohar Sorap; District President of Hindu Ekta Andolan Mr. Deepak Desai; District Convener of Bajrang Dal Mr. Parag Phadnis; Kolhapur City Karyavah (Secretary) of Shri Shiv Pratishthan Hindusthan Ashish Lokhande;   Kiran Duse and Shri. Sivananda Swami of HJS were present.

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__Inputs from Agencies.