Local BJP leader killed in Madhya Pradesh; party cries foul
Barwani (MP), Jan 20 : A BJP leader was found dead in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh Sunday morning, with the police suspecting that he was murdered.
The death of Manoj Thakre (48) came to light three days after another BJP leader was shot dead in Mandsaur, prompting the party to claim that its leaders were being targeted.
Balwadi, where Thakre's body was found, is around 100 km from the district headquarters.
"The body had injury marks on the face and around the neck," said district Superintendent of Police Y D Bhutia. "He had gone out for morning walk in hazy weather.
Local police got the information around 6.40 am that a body had been spotted, and within two minutes they reached the spot," the SP said.
Prima facie it appeared that Thakre was killed by unknown persons, she said. A Special Investigation Team headed by an additional superintendent of police has been formed to investigate the killing, she said.
"We have picked up some people and are questioning them," Bhutia added.
Former state minister and BJP leader Antar Singh Arya's son Vikas told reporters that the killing was fall-out of a "political rivalry", but did not elaborate.
On Saturday, the BJP had submitted petitions to officials in every district seeking improvement in the law and order situation, claiming it had deteriorated under the newly-elected Congress government.
Prahlad Bandhawar, chairman of the Mandsaur Municipal Council, was shot dead Thursday. According to the police, one Manish Bairagi allegedly shot him over a financial dispute.
Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted Sunday that it was "a matter of grave concern that BJP leaders are being killed".
"Congress is taking it lightly and seeking to make a cruel joke of the incidents," Chouhan said, pointing out that Thakre, a popular BJP mandal president, was killed in the very district to which home minister Bala Bachchan belongs.
Bachchan could not be contacted for reaction.
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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.
