Hundreds of Hindu devotees gathered at the Bhojshala complex in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar for a "maha aarti" on Friday, exactly a week after the High Court declared the site a temple, while members of the Muslim community offered namaz at their homes wearing black bands in protest.
It is pertinent to note that a judgement had been delivered by the Madhya Pradesh High Court on May 15, whereby the place, which comprises Bhojshala and Kamal Maula mosque, was found to be a temple of Goddess Vagdevi, thus rendering null and void an ASI order that allowed Muslims to hold their Friday prayers at that place. Before this ruling, Hindus could only offer their prayers on Tuesdays, while Muslims had offered their prayers there for decades past.
This Friday marked the first Jumma following the court's decision, and Hindu groups described the gathering as the first large-scale Friday worship at the site in over twenty years. Organised by the Bhoj Utsav Samiti and Bhojshala Mukti Yagya Samiti, the day featured religious programmes, bhajan-kirtan, and a grand aarti conducted under heavy security. Gopal Sharma, the convenor of the Bhojshala Mukti Yagya Samiti, noted that devotees from Dhar and neighbouring regions participated peacefully in the rituals, with the sanctum area and surrounding complex decorated with flowers and rangoli for the crowds queuing for darshan.
In contrast, local Muslims marked the day by praying within the privacy of their homes and courtyards, choosing to wear black bands to register their objection to the legal setback. Local community leader Abdul Samad stated that while they respected the High Court's authority, they were dissatisfied with the ruling and had already filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. Samad also took issue with the local administration's immediate withdrawal of permission for Friday prayers within the Kamal Maula Mosque section of the complex.
This included the fact that the group had recently held talks with local officials in regard to the activities taking place near the temple which, according to them, were exceeding the boundaries set by the High Court. Nevertheless, they appreciated the decision made by the administration whereby certain programmes were cancelled so as not to disturb harmony among the communities. In light of upholding the law, Samad stated that they would keep on fighting for their rights within the constitution. As a measure to avoid a rise in tensions, about 2,000 security personnel were put into action, deploying drones and CCTV cameras to ensure no untoward incident took place on this day.
Also read: Holy rituals begin at Bhojshala as ASI lifts curbs
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