An ongoing matter of grabbing the land of the Gayatri Bal Mandir (temple) to build a mosque in Madai of Ranjhi area of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh came to light recently. Meanwhile, the issue of a very old stepwell built on Gwarighat Road has now surfaced. The stepwell of Badshah Halwai Mandir installed during the period of Queen Durgavati of Gondwana has been converted into a mausoleum. Furthermore, the stepwell has been painted with a green colour to incorporate it into the Muslim faith. The development also shocked the Hindu Seva Parishad which observed the fresh changes when they witnessed the green-painted stepwell and the influx of followers of Muslim religion there.
The Hindu Seva Parishad made a video after closely examining the stepwell. They asserted that the statue of Nandi Maharaj, Shivlinga, the Swastika sign and the Shri Yantra are visible at the entry and represent the Sanatan culture. The group’s officials have charged that Muslims have been encroaching upon the land in the past few years and also built a shrine there. The topic of ‘land jihad’ has resurfaced in Jabalpur following the revelation of the stepwell’s altered appearance.
According to the Hindu group, a plot was hatched to erect a mausoleum thereafter members of the Muslim community seized it due to land jihad. Hindu Seva Parishad’s district chief Atul Jaiswani, along with dozens of Hindu activists, protested at the Police Control Room Ghantaghar on 9th November. They unveiled that Urs has also been organised at the location. On the other hand, Hindus have been doing puja at this stepwell for many years, and it has an old temple of archaeological significance.
People reportedly reduced their movement after seeing the increasing interference of the Muslim community and the conflict. Hindu Seva Parishad handed over a memorandum to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in the name of the collector. The Hindu Seva Parishad has submitted a memo to the district administration against the move and demanded to free the stepwell from occupation within thirty days and return to its original form.
Additionally, it warned that the outfit would paint the stepwell saffron if the unlawful occupation was not removed. They have also threatened a major agitation if the administration does not take the matter seriously or initiate any action against it. Badshah Halwai temple and the stepwell are under the Archaeological Department. It has long been a site of worship for the adherents of Sanatan Dharma and it also contains the remains of Hindu idols.
Notably, on 26th September, workers from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal gathered in large numbers to protest the mosque spanning 3,000 square feet built on the disputed site at Gayatri Mandir According to the Hindu activists, the mosque was built on the grounds of the Hindu religious place. They added that the government had provided the mosque with water and electrical connections as a sizable number of Muslims from all across the city had been gathering covertly at the mosque. The demonstrators challenged the structure on the temple’s property and presented supporting documentation. The Hindu groups have repeatedly protested at the place to oppose the illicit mosque.
