The police said the plot adjoining the masjid was government land. “Some people claimed the land belonged to them and placed the idols there,” a senior police officer said.
Published:August 11, 2015 1:16 am
A temple and a mosque, separated by two shops and a narrow road, have coexisted for over 30 years in Najafgarh’s furniture market. On Monday afternoon, however, the imam locked himself in the mosque’s premises as a handful of policemen took position outside.
The Takiya mosque is situated less than 200 metres from the Krishna temple. Local residents alleged that the mosque authorities tried to encroach upon a nearby plot, even demolishing portions of a wall on Friday. The mosque authorities denied the charges, maintaining that no construction outside the mosque premises had taken place. Meanwhile, at the disputed corner of the mosque, a makeshift religious shrine with two idols has been set up.