Idol removed from mosque site

By Mohammed Iqbal

JAIPUR, AUG. 1. The communal tension prevailing at Asind in Bhilwara district, where a 16th century mosque was pulled down by a mob last Friday, subsided today following the removal of the idol installed at the site. The 3-ft idol of Lord Hanuman was shifted ``voluntarily'' by the Gurjar community after midnight, the Rajasthan Government said. Though the Gurjars - who manage the huge Sawai Bhoj temple situated nearby - were still in control of the mosque site, there were indications that the community elders had been made to see reason and remove the newly-built temple from the spot. The idol was removed around 1- 30 a.m. ``without using any force.''

``This gesture is a positive step towards restoration of normality and has helped reverse the impact of the provocative act of demolition,'' the Principal Secretary, Home, Mr. R. K. Nayar, told The Hindu. Related issues, such as reconstruction of the mosque and its restoration to the Rajasthan Waqf Board, would be resolved in the coming days. Security was tightened in and around Asind and the sprawling Sawai Bhoj complex, 3 km from the town, where the temple, the mosque site and a Dargah are situated. The Inspector- General of Police (Intelligence), Mr. M. K. Devarajan, is camping in the town.

Probe ordered

The State Government has ordered an administrative inquiry into the episode under the Revenue Secretary, Mr. G. S. Sandhu, and asked him to submit a report within a week. He met the people of both the communities in Asind today to record their versions. Besides the members of a probe team constituted by the Pradesh Congress Committee, the Chairman of the Waqf Board, Mr. Nasir Ali Naqvi, also visited the complex.

Speaking over telephone from Asind, Mr. Naqvi said the mosque was situated in the vicinity of several temples. ``It would have been a matter of pride for the Sawai Bhoj Temple Trust to let the mosque remain there as a beautiful example of religious coexistence,'' he said, adding that the trust had itself repaired a minaret of the mosque damaged in 1985. A delegation of Muslim organisations met the Chief Minister, Mr. Ashok Gehlot, here this afternoon demanding stern action against those who were out to destroy communal amity in the State. It demanded that the culprits be arrested immediately.

Our Special Correspondent reports:

'Not Pak.'s business'

The Rajasthan Government is peeved at the media glare it has received during the past three days. To add to its woes, the Pakistan Foreign Office too reacted to the development, describing the demolition as `desecration.'

``The Pakistan Government is not in the know of things. It does not have any business to react like this,'' Mr. Gehlot told The Hindu in a terse response to the report from Islamabad. ``There used to be no prayers at the mosque. The maintenance of the place is also carried out by the Sawai Bhoj Trust,'' he said while making it clear that he condemned the destruction of the mosque.

The Government is also looking into the role of Mr. Mansukh Singh, international president of the Rajesh Pilot brigade, suspected to be behind the present trouble.

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