card_membershipSubscribechrome_reader_modeEpaperhomeHomedescriptionIndiarate_reviewOpinionplaceWorldexploreMiddle Eastbusiness_centerBusinesslibrary_musicEntertainmentgroupLifestylememoryTechnologysports_soccerSportsperm_mediaMultimediaspaCulturelanguageMalayalam News
Posted On
date_range
Updated On
date_range

Oh Allah, you are our only hope: tears and prayers as Race Course Masjid faces demolition

Security personnel have cordoned off the site, barring outsiders, including the media, from entering, while a notice erected by the Land and Development Office (L&DO) declares the land to be Central Government property and warns that any unauthorised action would constitute encroachment.

The Race Course Masjid has been there for over a hundred years, yet the premises it occupies were not considered a national security concern until recently, when the administration sought to reclaim the area adjacent to the Prime Minister’s residence.

The proposed demolition has deeply affected Muslim worshippers who share an emotional and spiritual bond with the mosque, a distress made painfully visible last Friday when its elderly imam, Mohammed Haroon, tearfully appealed to the Almighty to save their place of worship.

“Oh Allah, please help us. You are our only hope. Our faith is being tested,” Haroon pleaded during Friday prayers on October 23, while fellow worshippers stood beside him in silent solidarity. The poignant scene captured the anguish of a community facing the possible loss of a religious landmark that has served generations of believers.

The mosque, a Grade II heritage structure notified in 2009, stands within the Race Course Club, which occupies approximately 53 acres. The Centre has cited national security as the reason for taking possession of the area, while the club premises and surrounding slums are being cleared following several rounds of litigation.

Security personnel have cordoned off the site, and outsiders, including members of the media, have been barred from entering. A notice erected by the Land and Development Office (L&DO) declares the land to be the property of the Central Government and warns that any action against it would be treated as encroachment.

Haroon said L&DO officials had served him an eviction notice requiring him to vacate within six days, warning that legal action would follow if he failed to comply. The mosque’s water and electricity supplies were disconnected on October 7.

On October 15, the Delhi High Court declined to direct the restoration of the essential services. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) argued that clearance operations were continuing and that restoration could involve public harm, while noting that the L&DO had not been made a party to the petition.

The court observed that the Delhi Waqf Board, which registered the mosque and was described as its original occupant, had not challenged the disconnection. It also held that Haroon, appointed by the Board, could not independently claim fundamental rights over the premises.