Hindu shopkeeper evicted from mosque premises for paying Rs 170 rent; mosque trustee arrested
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The Gujarat police have arrested nine individuals, including a trustee of the Nawab Mosque in the Danapith area of Rajkot, for forcefully evicting a shopkeeper from the mosque premises, who had been paying a meagre rent of Rs 170 under a decades-old rental agreement, The Indian Express.
The incident, which began on December 31, escalated after mosque trustee Farooq Musani allegedly led a group that forcibly evicted shopkeepers by breaking locks and discarding their merchandise. The affected shops, located on the mosque’s ground floor, had been occupied for decades, with tenants reportedly paying nominal rents.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed by shopkeeper Virendra Kotecha, the eviction was carried out on the basis of an order from the Gujarat State Waqf Board. However, the tenants claimed they had not received prior notice from the mosque trust regarding the eviction. Kotecha, whose family had been running the shop since 1962, stated that the action violated legal procedures.
Police promptly registered the FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including unlawful assembly, criminal trespass, and criminal intimidation. Musani and others named in the complaint were arrested on January 1. Authorities also conducted a reconstruction of the events on the day of the eviction to assess the sequence of actions taken.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone-2, Jagdish Bangarwa, noted that the eviction was deemed illegal despite the existence of the Waqf Board order. He highlighted that the decades-old rental agreements had resulted in minimal rent payments of Rs 170, which the mosque trust found unviable. However, the lack of adherence to established eviction protocols made the actions unlawful.
The Gujarat Waqf Board criticised the mosque trustee for bypassing prescribed procedures. Proper eviction processes include serving tenants with notices at staggered intervals and involving the police during the removal process. The board has sought a detailed explanation from its member who reportedly signed the eviction order.
In response to the incident, Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home assured that no harassment through illegal activities would be tolerated. The minister also highlighted the reopening of the shops and the arrest of those involved in the eviction.