Mumbai: Tension grips Dharavi as locals thwart BMC's move to raze 'illegal' portion of mosque

NEW DELHI: Tensions prevailed in Mumbai's Dharavi slum on Saturday as local residents opposed plans by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to demolish a section of a mosque. According to an official, this led to hundreds of people gathering on the road.

The BMC team, arriving from the G-North administrative ward, attempted to demolish a part of the Mehboob-E-Subhani mosque located on 90 Feet Road around 9 am. A large number of residents blocked their entrance to the lane where the mosque stands.

A large number of police personnel have been deployed there to prevent any untoward incident in view of the prevailing situation, he said.

"A team of BMC officials from G-North administrative ward reached the 90 Feet Road in Dharavi around 9 am to demolish alleged illegal portion of Mehboob-E-Subhani masjid. Soon, a large number of local residents gathered at the spot and stopped the civic officials from entering the lane where the mosque is located," the police official said.

"Later, hundreds of people also assembled outside the Dharavi police station located there and squatted on the road to protest against the civic body's move," he said.

In protest, hundreds of people assembled outside the Dharavi police station, squatting on the road. Heavy police presence was deployed to prevent any incidents, and the situation is currently under control.

A delegation from the mosque, BMC officials, and the Dharavi police are holding talks to resolve the issue. Dharavi is known as Asia's largest slum and is densely populated.

Following protests against the demolition of unauthorised construction of a mosque at Dharavi, the BMC has given a deadline of four to five days to remove the unauthorised construction. According to a BMC release, the civic body had served an eviction notice earlier and had initiated action as per the notice.

However, the trustees of the mosque have asked for four to five days to remove the encroached construction on the 90 feet road on their own.

The trustees of the mosque have submitted a written request to the Deputy Municipal Commissioner (DMC) Zone 2 and the Assistant Commissioner of the BMC G-North ward, stating that they would remove the unauthorised construction on their own during this period.

The civic administration directed the trustees to remove the encroached construction within the stipulated time.