When Parrikar helped shooter Tejaswini take aim
Mumbai: When a young and little known Tejaswini Sawant was in urgent need of financial help to participate in a shooting world championship in Germany, Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar came as her ray of hope.
The support not only enabled the shooter from Kolhapur in Maharashtra to participate in the competition in 2005, but also became a turning point in her career as she scaled new heights thereafter, Sawant said.
Her only regret now is that she could not thank the chief minister enough for his generosity which made a big contribution in her life and shooting career.
"It was a brief meeting with Parrikar along with family friend and senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil. He just listened about my performance and estimated the expenditure.
He then signed a cheque for me immediately," the ace shooter recalled while talking to PTI over phone.
"The amount was around Rs 1 lakh and it was the most needed help for me that changed my entire career," she said.
It helped Sawant move ahead as she scored 397 and 396 out of 400 in two rounds of the event, comfortably securing a place among the mainstream shooters to represent India.
The boost further helped her in improving her performance game by game, and she subsequently became the first Indian woman shooter to win a gold medal at the World Championships, with a world-record equalling score in the 50m rifle prone event in 2010 in Germany.
"I could do it only because of two people. First, Manohar Parrikar for his trust and financial support, and then Chandrakant Patil, who took my case to Parrikar," she said.
Since 2006, Sawant won several gold and other medals in international championships.
She said after the early success in her career, she received offers for a job in the Goa government and financial help for travel and training expenses till she wanted to play.
"I regret that I could never thank Parrikar properly for his contribution in my life and career," the shooter said while expressing her grief over his demise.
When contacted, Patil, who is currently Maharashtra's revenue minister, said he shared close ties with Parrikar.
He said when Sawant approached him, Parrikar's name came to his mind and he called up his number for help.
"He was like that (generous). In case of Tejaswini, Parrikar helped her in his own capacity. He didn't use the government money. Though he spent from his pocket, he never brought up the issue in our subsequent conversations," Patil said.
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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.
