New Delhi, Jan. 31: The 800-year-old Masjid Akhondji in Mehrauli was demolished on Tuesday, Imam of the Masjid Zakir Hussain said in an interview with India Tomorrow.
Describing how Delhi Development Authority (DDA) demolished this historical Masjid with the help of police, Hussain said the incident occurred around 5:30 am when DDA officials arrived there. The Imam spoke to the officials, who informed him that the area belonged to DDA and needed to be vacated immediately. The DDA officials ordered demolition right away, and everything was demolished.
“They confiscated our mobile phones. They took us, along with three to four other individuals, to Mehrauli and left us there near the barricades so that we couldn’t re-enter the area. They didn’t even allow us to retrieve our belongings from inside. They started their work immediately upon arrival,” Hussain alleged.
He added, “The stones, bricks, minaret, and all the buildings of the mosque and madrasa were demolished. The rubble was loaded onto trucks and transported to another location. Thereafter the site was filled with soil from another location to conceal any evidence of the demolition.
“They provided us with nothing. Some of our children were left hungry and thirsty in an enclosure. Twenty-two children were studying here; now, they have been shifted to another madrasa.”
Hussain further said, “We didn’t even receive any prior notice before demolition. Suddenly, they arrived and started their work, not allowing us to remove the copies of the Quran. They shamelessly desecrated the Masjid and didn’t even allow us to take anything out, including utensils or ration. All the ration intended for the 22 children studying was inside. They left everything inside, not even allowing us to retrieve the balance of money kept for emergencies in the madrasa. They didn’t find anything; they immediately started their actions.”
