BHOPAL, 1 August - A mosque built by a battalion of the Mogul Army in the 16th century near Asind town in Bhilwara district of south Rajasthan was demolished by a mob of hoodlums and a temple built in its place on Friday last, sending shock waves across the state and leading to tension between the two communities.
The incident - which was concealed by the district administration for fear of a communal backlash - came to light yesterday with the local residents approaching the Rajasthan Waqf Board here.
The Waqf Board records refer to the mosque as "Masjid Sawai Bhoj" which was in use till 1956 and abandoned thereafter apparently because of thin population of Muslims in the vicinity. The mosque with no roof over it had a single high wall raised on the western side. It had a raised platform and three minarets.Since the old structure was already fragile, it took little time for the 300-strong mob to demolish it.
A fresh marble platform was hurriedly built at the site of the demolished mosque and an idol installed by Friday evening. Chairman of the Waqf Board, Nasir Ali Naqvi, who met Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot late Monday to apprise him of the situation in Asind, demanded reconstruction and restoration of the mosque.
The mosque is said to have been built by a battalion of Emperor Akbar's army in the 16th century when Akbar's forces were returning from Chittaurgarh after a battle. The army had stopped over briefly near Asind in the vicinity of Sawai Bhoj temple - which existed at that time - and built the mosque to mark the place.
