On Saturday (17th), a group of Hindus led by a young priest named Hiranmoy Goswami performed puja inside the premises of the disputed ‘Adina mosque’ in the Malda district of West Bengal.
Goswami, who had visited the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-listed monument, spotted idols of Hindu deities and a Shivling. Soon after, he along with his followers began performing puja and reciting mantras next to the Shivling.
In the meantime, local Muslims in the area notified the police. Soon after, the Hindu priest was stopped from conducting rituals by assistant sub-inspector Navin Chandra Poddar, who told Goswami that he could not offer his prayers at the disputed mosque.
This led to a heated argument between Hiranmoy Goswami and the police official. On being asked about his crime, Poddar told the Hindu priest, “Your crime is that you are offering ‘pranam’ wherever you want. This cannot be done here.”
Goswami, who is the President of Vishwavidya Trust in Vrindavan, asked why he could not offer prayers when idols of Hindu deities are visible on the walls of the disputed structure.
“Show me the order which says I cannot offer pranam here? I am going to offer my pranam here. What will you do? Do you have the right to tell me to get out of this place,” he asked the cop.
The Hindu protest further directed the police official to get a written order that he is not allowed to be present inside the premises of the ‘Adina Mandir.’
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) later filed a complaint with the Malda police against Hiranmoy Goswami, following which a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him.
“Acting on the complaint received from the end of the ASI, police lodged a complaint formally,” an official told The Telegraph anonymously. Reportedly, a large contingent of police was deployed in the area in the aftermath of the incident.
It must be mentioned the Adnina mosque was built on the ruins of Hindu and Buddhist religious structures by Islamic invader Sultan Sikander Shah in 1369.
Earlier in May 2022, BJP leader Rathindra Bose pointed out that an ‘Adinath Mandir’ exists underneath the disputed structure. In a tweet, he said, “The Adinath temple is sleeping beneath the Adina mosque. Jitu Sardar gave his life to save this temple. That history is unknown to many.”
“He was martyred while trying to protect the temple from the British and Muslim rulers. This issue came to my mind repeatedly when I visited the disputed place with local MLA Chinmoy Deb Barman yesterday. Kashi’s Lord Vishwanath got back his place. Is it now the turn of Adinath?”, Bose further added.