200-yr-old masjid razed; MIM, MBT condemn act

Chanchalguda: Muslim leaders have demanded re-construction of 200-year-old Masjid and Ashoor Khana which was demolished for road widening by GHMC at Amberpet.

AIMIM General Secretary and Yakutpura MLA Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri visited the spot where Masjid-Ek-Khana and Ashoor Khana Hazrath Abbas stood, and inspected the damage. He offered Zohar prayer along with locals at the demolished spot.

Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) spokesperson Amjedullah Khan also visited the site where the masjit was located in 419 Sq Yards and Ashoor Khana Hazrath Abbas in 359 Sq Yards. He said, "The 200-year-old Masjid and Ashoor Khana, which was a Wakf property notified in Gazette no: 24-B and situated at Amberpet was demolished by GHMC in the name of road-widening. The GHMC with the help of heavy posse of police demolished the Masjid in early hours on Thursday."

He alleged that some land grabbers owning the rights of the property of Masjid and Ashoor Khan had taken an amount of Rs 6 crores and handed over the property to GHMC. "In spite of knowing the facts that Masjid cannot be a property of any single person or cannot be moved from one place to other, the GHMC took up demolition of the Masjid. The Wakf Board officials were sleeping all the while."

Amjedullah said it is very sad to note that no local MLA nor any Muslim leaders from TRS party visited the site where the Masjid and Ashoor Khana was demolished. He demanded that, "The Telangana government should immediately ask the Wakf Board to re-construct the Masjid and Ashoor Khana at its original place and take necessary action against the GHMC Officials and also against the persons who claimed the amount of Rs 6 crore and handed over the property to GHMC."