In a shocking case that has come to the fore from the Kondhwa region of Maharashtra’s Pune district, government land that had been earlier allotted for the construction of a playground is now being converted into a Muslim burial ground. This is after the former NCP MLA Chetan Tupe and BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar submitted a letter to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) suggesting that the amenity space around some of the Hindu societies in Kondhwa could be the perfect location to build a burial ground (Qabristan) for the Muslim community.
BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar later backtracked from the suggestion, reportedly after realising the problems of the locals and after he was informed about the issues in the area.
The letter claimed that the Kondhwa region in Pune has a large Muslim population and that it would be favorable for the community to have a burial ground nearby.
Former Hadapsar @NCPspeaks MLA Chetan Tupe @ChetanVTupe n @BJP4Maharashtra leader Yogesh Tilekar @iYogeshTilekar recommended converting a Hindu-majority residential area's of #Kondhwa playground into a Muslim burial ground. Pune Municipal Corporation @PMCPune has spent 46 lakh… pic.twitter.com/AKS6vc0Ffa
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) December 13, 2023
Several Hindu societies around the said amenity space (survey no. 44) have complained to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) objecting to the construction of a burial ground for the Muslim community. “The societies around the plot are Hindu societies and several thousand Hindu families reside in this location. Several Hindu temples are also located in the area and building a burial ground for the Muslim community here might cause religious harm to the residents,” the letter by Raviraj Colorado Co-op Housing Society read. The complaint dated 23rd October has been exclusively obtained by OpIndia upon which no action has been taken by the PMC yet.
Similar complaint letters have been submitted by Achalnagar Sahakari Gruharachana Society Ltd and Shree Vardhaman Nagar Co-op Housing Society Ltd to the PMC highlighting that around 12000 to 15000 Hindu families reside in the locality and that it would be wrong to allow amenity space that was supposed to be a playground for a Muslim burial ground. The complaint letters obtained by OpIndia have been signed by all the society members who are Hindus.
Letter copy obtained by OpIndia
Amenity space is a portion of a building that adds convenience for all occupants of a building and that is not used exclusively by any one occupant. In the current case, the amenity space is just a wall close to societies that have registered complaints and the space is authoritatively looked after by the PMC.
NCP MLA Chetan Tupe Patil and local Muslim Nagarsevaks claim survey no. 44 space surrounded by the Muslim population
The controversy has been long-standing since the year 2021 when NCP MLA Chetan Tupe Patil submitted a letter to the PMC suggesting that the amenity space on survey no. 44 plot should be made a Muslim burial ground given that the Kondhwa region in Pune houses a large Muslim population. However, in between these years, it was later advised by the PMC’s Amenity Space Committee that a Muslim burial ground would be constructed in the amenity space on surveys no. 18 and 19 and that a playground would be constructed on survey no. 44 space.
The Muslim community members then happened to press that a burial ground on survey no. 44 space would be better given the closer distance and that the supposed burial ground in Survey no 18 and 19 space would cause commuting problems for the community. Several letters to PMC pressing their demand for survey no 44 space were sent by the Nagarsevak, Adv Abdul Gafar Pathan, Parveen Haji Firoz Sheikh, and former NCP MLA Chetan Tupe Patil. The letters erroneously claimed that most of the population residing around the survey no. 44 plots were Muslims and it would be a feasible space for Muslim burial ground.
A similar letter advocating for a Qabristan on survey no. 44 land was submitted by the BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar on 8th May 2023 to the PMC. The letter stated that survey no. 18 and 19 spaces were too far from the Muslim locality residing in Kondhwa and that making a burial ground on survey no. 44 space would be feasible instead. The PMC on 16th May then approved the proposal based on the letter submitted by Tilekar.
BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar says he was misinformed, now assures no Muslim burial ground will be made on the said land
However, it has come to the fore that Tilekar submitted the letter after the local Muslim community members sought his help regarding the land issue. The Muslim community representatives informed Tilekar that a maximum of the Muslim population resides around survey no. 44 amenity space and that it should be converted into a Muslim burial ground.
OpIndia talked to BJP MLA Yogesh Tilekar confirming the incident. He exclusively informed OpIndia that he was misinformed about the survey no. 44 spaces and the ongoing project of playground construction on the land. “I didn’t know the land was already allotted by the PMC for a playground construction. Neither did the local Muslim representatives tell me nor the PMC. The letter I sent in May 2023 pressed for a burial ground on survey no. 44 space. However, after I learned that the maximum of population residing around the survey no. 44 space is Hindu, I sent another letter demanding the cancellation of the allotment of the land for a Muslim burial ground,” Tilekar said while talking to OpIndia.
The letter of cancellation that Tilekar sent to the PMC on 23rd October 2023 clearly states that the survey no. 44 amenity space is located in a crowded area and most of the population that resides in the societies around the space is Hindu. “I first thought that the area housed a large Muslim population but I was misinformed. Most of the population residing in the locality is Hindu,” the letter reads.
Rs 49 lakhs already spent for construction of playground, space still vacant
The entire incident was exposed after an RTI activist Dr Paritosh Zaware Patil residing in the Raviraj Colorado Co-op Housing Society (next to survey no 44 amenity space) filed an RTI demanding details of the location. It came to the fore that the PMC had already allotted the land for the construction of a playground and that the government had already spent Rs 43 lakhs for construction. Surprisingly, the land still is vacant and is under controversy over the Muslim burial ground construction.
The land was allotted for the construction of the playground in the year 2017 and in 2019 grant of Rs 43 lakhs for the purpose was also obtained. The project of construction of the playground was given to some Salim Construction in the year 2019 and Rs 49 lakhs had been spent for the purpose. “The land is still vacant and no playground has been constructed here. Instead, they want to make a Muslim burial ground here. This is a crowded locality and we don’t want our children to see anything that would not be good for their age,” Dr Patil confirmed.
‘Nothing against the Muslim community, it is about burial ground in crowded residential area,’ resident RTI activist
Dr. Paristosh Patil while talking to OpIndia confirmed that survey no 18 and 19 are in the East part of the Kondhwa region and that it still stands vacant. “Some people had demanded that a vegetable market should be developed there. However, in the Amenity space committee meeting, the PMC denied the permission. That land can easily be converted into a Muslim burial ground. No problem at all. But the Muslim community members want survey no 44 amenity space only which is located in the crowded Hindu locality. They say that it is a closer option for them.”
Patil added that he or the other society members have nothing to do with the community. “We are not against the Muslim community. Our problem is the burial ground. How can it be constructed in a densely crowded residential locality? All our society’s flat doors face the ground and families stay with us. What if our children ask tomorrow about the burials? Like what it is and why does this happen? Many children residing in the society are too young to see this. Even if there was a demand for Hindu cremation ground, we would have opposed it,” he added.
The letter submitted by the societies around survey no 44 amenity space states that there are around 12000-15000 Hindu families residing in the locality and hardly any Muslim people stay in the societies. “There are also several temples in the area and converting the space into a Muslim burial ground might harm our religious sentiments,” the letter reads.
The complaint also says that constructing a Muslim burial ground might create health hazards. “Water used for the process might seep into the society pipes causing health hazards. The societies and the survey no 44 amenity space are just a wall away from each other,” Dr Patil confirmed.
Hindu society members say they are being threatened, some leaving their flats
Team OpIndia also talked to some of the other society residents to know about the Muslim burial ground being constructed on the nearby premises. One of the Raviraj Colorado society residents stated that several unknown persons are calling the society residents after the complaint to the PMC saying the Muslim burial ground will be built on survey no. 44 land come what may. “People are threatening us and saying that the inauguration of the burial ground will be executed in January next year. We all are scared and don’t want to see people getting buried there,” said Neelam Shah, one of the residents (name changed for security reasons).
She further added that several Hindu organizations and concerned legal committees are looking into the case and people here are even ready to protest. “The roadway to the ground is really narrow as the locality is already crowded. Single lanes lead to the ground in question. School buses also pass through the same routes. Imagine now if someone dies from their community (God forbid) and they get the body to the ground for burial and then there’s also a bus passing through the same route.. our children will be forced to see what they should not at this age? Moreover, the traffic issues might also increase. The Muslim burial ground here is a bad idea,” she pressed.
Neelam further added that the amenity space which is vacant at present is used by some of the miscreants to carry out immoral and illegal activities. On asking about the ‘immoral activities’, Shah said that people use the site for drinking and all wrong purposes after the evening hours. “This also should stop,” she demanded.
The resident also added that some of the people living in the societies are leaving their properties and selling at a loss due to the increasing influence of the Muslim community. “The Muslim burial ground is making people leave their hard-earned homes. This is not done,” she adds.
Another resident Jyotsna Patil (name changed for security reasons) also confirmed that most of the population staying here in the Kondhwa region is Hindu. “The burial ground can result in severe health hazards. Not instantly but in the coming 4-5 years people will notice changes in the environment here and their health to be specific. This is hazardous. Also, this is a Hindu community crowded space. Religiously, it would be incorrect to have another community burial ground here. Strict action should be taken in this case,” Patil said.
The PMC is said to have taken action based on the letter submitted by BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar. However, Tilekar stated that he was misinformed about the location and that no he is ready to do anything to stop the ‘playground’ being converted into a Muslim burial ground. Reportedly, the Amenity Space Committee of Pune Municipal Corporation has taken no action on the cancellation request submitted by the BJP MLA. The decision shall be taken in the upcoming meeting of the body.
At present, the amenity space contains a jogging track and a few rest places. The remaining portion of the land stands vacant.
Kondhwa region in Pune has been the hub of Pune ISIS module
It is important to note that Pune’s Kondhwa region has been in the news for some time. In July this year, the National Investigation Agency arrested a doctor from the Kondhwa region for sheltering ISIS members. Also, three residents from the Mithanagar area of Kondhwa had been arrested by NIA for promoting terrorist activities at the behest of the global terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS).
Later, in August, it had come to the fore that the accused ISIS operatives organized and participated in bomb-making workshops in Pune’s Kondhwa area in 2022. The central investigation agency received credible intelligence that these accused and their associates were recruiting youth and training them to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and weapons. They also shared Do It Yourself (DIY) kits and other relevant materials among themselves for creating IEDs and manufacturing small weapons, pistols, and more.
Notably, the accused were also involved in creating content for the pro-ISIS magazine ‘Voice of Hind’. The online magazine led to several raids by the NIA in October 2021 in Kashmir.
On 5th August, the accused were sent to ATS custody by a Pune court. ATS informed the court they found incriminating material from the accused, including an Indian map with several cities marked, laptops containing material to study the modus operandi of terror attacks, and more. The initial probe revealed they have links to the Al Sufa module. However, a later investigation revealed they all were part of ISIS.
