Dhar: The contemporary monument of Bhojshala in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh is today under the overall assessment of the Archaeological Survey of India. From the entire survey, the Muslim community could perform prayers on the 64th day on Friday at the site. In a symbolic gesture, followers of the Islamic faith came for the prayers wearing black bands on their hands, evidence of an oppression they wanted to demonstrate against. After that, they offered prayers, and each one handed over a memorandum to the collector in the name of the President. The memorandum insisted on strict compliance with the rules and regulations on physical excavation and removal as outlined by the Supreme Court.
The city’s Qazi Wakar Saadik, the president of the Intejamiya Committee Zulfiqar Pathan, addressed the media concerning the non-implementation of the SC orders within the mosque. As a result, they protested by replacing their identifiers, like the armbands, with black bands in a symbolic manner. This is why they urged the Archaeological Survey of India to continue adhering to the rules of the Supreme Court even more diligently.
They cautioned that if instructions of the Supreme Court were not obeyed and if physical digging went on, Muslims would begin a large protest. Notably there is freedom observed in the Supreme Court, where they allowed the Hindus to recite Hanuman Chalisa every Tuesday and also allowed prayers to be observed by the Muslims on Fridays.
This development underlines the fact that even sensitive issues, such as religious feelings, should mixed with the idea of archaeological site conservation. The situation is not unique and captures the challenges when running historical buildings with an attached religious connotation. It also underlines the need to comply with the legal frameworks about preventing strife among the various groups to ensure that harmony prevails.
Check here for the latest updates in Hindi!