Hyderabad, July 23: Demolition of a mosque of Qutub Shahi period at Moinabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad sparked tension but the authorities intervened to lay foundation stone for reconstruction of the mosque at the same place.
The incident occurred at a real estate venture at Chilkur in Moinabad in Rangareddy district on Monday.
The owners of the venture demolished the ancient mosque with two bulldozers. As the word spread and tension mounted, locals alerted All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
He took up the issues with the top officials, who swung into action. AIMIM MLC Mirza Rahmat Baig rushed to Chilkur.
Principal Secretary, minorities welfare department, Tafseer Iqbal and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rajendranagar) Srinivas Reddy also rushed to the scene.
Tafseer Iqbal called officials of the revenue department and sought details about the land. He was told that the real estate developers building the 10-acre venture razed the mosque for 10 gunta of land.
The AIMIM MLC along with the custodian of the mosque approached Moinabad Police station and lodged a complaint against the builders. Police registered and took up the investigation.
Police later seized a bulldozer while the driver of the other bulldozer was absconding. A search was on for the builders. Their mobile phones were reportedly switched off.
The police officer gave an assurance that those involved in demolition would not be spared. He said the action of those involved was an attempt to vitiate peace and this would not be tolerated.
On Monday night, foundation stone was laid for reconstruction of the mosque at the same site. Namaz-e-Isha was also performed at the site and it was led by AIMIM MLC.
Tafseer Iqbal, the IPS officer, said on receipt of the information he along with other officials of the minority welfare department visited the spot. He said the mosque would be reconstructed at the earliest.
Telangana Wakf Board Chairman Azmatullah Hussaini, Telangana Minorities Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) chairman Faheem Qureshi and others visited Chilkur.
According to the Wakf Board chairman, the mosque was located on 480 yards of Wakf land. He said that there is a revenue record of the Wakf property. He announced that reconstruction of the mosque would begin soon.
