Mamata's dharna enters third day; Kejriwal, Naidu likely to visit protest site today
Kolkata, Feb 5: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's sit-in against the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police chief in connection with chit fund scams continued for the third day on Tuesday.
Banerjee sat on a "Save India" dharna in front of Metro Cinema in the heart of the city on Sunday night insisting that the latest CBI action was tantamount to stifling the spirit of "Constitution and federalism" in the country.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu are expected to visit the dharna site at Metro Channel on Tuesday, sources said.
Prominent leaders like DMK's Kanimozhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav visited the dharna venue on Monday to express solidarity with the firebrand Bengal leader.
The dharna site, titled "satyagraha mancha", has been devoid of any political colour.The chief minister has been discharging her official duties, including signing of papers, from the dais.
Sources close to Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress chief, said she would continue to discharge her official duties from the protest site till the demonstration is called off.
She had said that her dharna would continue till Friday in view of the upcoming boards examination.
"I will continue my Satyagraha till the country is saved. If you want to save the country then you will have to remove (Narendra) Modi," Banerjee had said.
The West Bengal Chief Minister has described her protest as a non-political one and welcomed all anti-BJP parties into it.
Prominent personalities, including poets and singers, have poured in to the dharna venue to lend support to Banerjee's protest.
Actress Indrani Halder and senior ministers Arup Biswas and Indranil Sen were present Tuesday morning at the 'dharna mancha'.
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has sent a report on the current situation to the Centre.
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Bhojshala complex registered as 'mosque' in old revenue records: Muslim side to MP HC
Indore (PTI): The disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex has historically been registered as a 'mosque' in revenue records and available sources don't clearly mention any Saraswati temple established by then-king Raja Bhoj, the Muslim side has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while the Muslim side calls the 11th-century monument Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex located in Dhar district is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
During the hearing before the HC's Indore bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi on Wednesday, Qazi Moinuddin questioned two PILs filed as intervenors in the Bhojshala case by an organisation named Hindu Front for Justice, one Kuldeep Tiwari and another individual.
Moinuddin claims to be a descendant of Sufi saint Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti and the 'Sajjadanashin' (spiritual head, guru, or successor of a Sufi shrine, khanqah, or religious site).
The PILs state that Bhojshala is actually a Saraswati temple and only Hindus should be granted the right to worship at the disputed complex.
Moinuddin's lawyer, Noor Ahmed Sheikh, claimed in the court that his client's ancestors, who are descendants of Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti, have historically held titles to the complex, and the site was also recorded as a "mosque" in government revenue records.
He contended that those associated with the management of the Kamal Maula Mosque, located within the complex, have been in "continuous and peaceful occupation" of the site for a long time.
Citing Muslim law, Sheikh argued that in the case of religious property, particularly a mosque or its related properties, officials such as the Sajjadanashin and Mutawalli (person entrusted with management, maintenance, and administration of a Waqf), and their descendants, not only have the right to intervene, but also have the right to manage and use such a structure.
Citing provisions of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904, the Muslim side's lawyer said the term "in-charge of the property" is used in this law, which makes it clear that the person or party who has been in charge of a property for a long time has rights over it.
During the hearing, Touseef Warsi, the lawyer representing the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society of Dhar, claimed that Hindu parties in both PILs had made "misleading representations" regarding historical facts before the high court.
He further claimed that available historical sources do not clearly mention the existence of a Saraswati temple established by Raja Bhoj, the legendary king of the Parmar dynasty who ruled Dhar from 1010 to 1055.
The ASI, a central government agency, has adopted three different positions in the lawsuits filed regarding the Bhojshala dispute, changing its answers from time to time, and this situation raises serious questions about judicial scrutiny of the complex, Warsi submitted.
He raised objections regarding the ASI's process of scientific survey of the Bhojshala complex, carried out on the HC order in 2024, and the method of videography and requested the court to examine these objections.
The hearing in the Bhojshala case will continue on Thursday.
The HC has been regularly hearing four petitions and one writ appeal since April 6, contesting the religious nature of the monument.
