Residents allege the land has been illegally grabbed as the matter is still pending with HC.
It was 5 am when Nafisa Begum and her family woke up to the sound of police vans, trucks and then steps approaching towards her house. As she came out, she saw around 5,000 policemen along with some CRPF personnel encircling the area and even sealing all the roads approaching them.
"We felt like we were trapped. The cops suddenly started covering half of the area, they used tin to separate it. We were left helpless. It was an act of intrusion," said Begum, whose family has been living near Lal Masjid for over 100 years now.
Like Begum, there are four more families residing in Lal Masjid area, which belong to the Delhi Waqf Board. According to the residents, the CRPF has illegally grabbed the land while the matter is still pending with the Delhi High Court.
"The court has not yet given the final order but the agencies encroached upon the land. They have also razed the graves," said Beghum.
A historical mosque in Nizamuddin area of Delhi, known as Lal masjid, was constructed almost 200 years ago. Sources in the Delhi Waqf Board said there are 128 such properties in the Capital which are under dispute. The claim to these properties is made by both -- Waqf board and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) that comes under the Urban Development Ministry.
However, the CRPF has a different story to tell. According to the agency, the land was alloted to them by the MHA in June last year. "The CRPF took over the charge of most of the part of the land, excluding Lal Masjid and adjacent graveyards on February 28 after the Delhi High Court gave its decision to maintain the status quo over the area. For the remaining part of the land, there was a direction to make necessary constructions for which land was alloted to the department from the court," said a CRPF official.
According to the sources, Lal Masjid, situated near the CBI headquarters, where the whole area known as CGO complex, is said to be built on the waqf lands. The area houses a host of central ministry offices. The Sachar Report also mentioned the CGO complex as waqf property under "adverse possession".
DIFFERENT CLAIMS
- Like Begum, there are four more families residing in Lal Masjid area, which belongs to the Delhi Waqf Board.
- CRPF has illegally grabbed the land while the matter is still pending with the Delhi HC.
- However,CRPF says the land was alloted to them by the MHA in June last year.
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