Hans News Service Dhar

A day after the Supreme Court granted permission, Muslims offered prayers on Friday at a site near the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh amid heavy deployment of police personnel. The arrangements for the namaz at the site, survey number 612, near Bhojshala was selected by the Muslim community leaders during a meeting with the district administration.

A good number of devotees turned up for the Friday namaz for the first time after the Madhya Pradesh High Court ruled in May that the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex was a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. The Supreme Court on Thursday permitted Muslims to offer Friday prayers at the premises of a dargah adjacent to the disputed Bhojshala complex.

It directed the Madhya Pradesh government to ensure that Muslims are allowed to offer namaz at the site between 1 and 3 pm on Friday. Accordingly, the administration made necessary arrangements for the namaz, officials said. The prayer time was set from 1 to 3 pm. Around 2.30 pm, more than 150 Muslims arrived for prayers, officials said. Although it was raining at that time, the worshippers offered their prayers, they said.

A meeting was held prior to this between the district administration and the Muslim community. Barricades were erected around the Bhojshala complex for security purposes, the official said. A large police force was deployed in and around Bhojshala as a precautionary measure. The prayers were offered at survey land number 612. Abdul Samad, a member of Kamal Maulana Welfare Society, representing the Muslim side, said, “We presented our demands before the Supreme Court. They listened to them with complete seriousness and issued an order directing us to offer namaz at the location adjoining the Kamal Maula mosque.” They specified survey numbers 611, 612, and 596. They instructed us to arrange and offer prayers within whichever survey numbers provided, and make arrangements, he said.