Sikhs, Hindus hand over mosque converted into Christian school to Muslim management
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A mosque in Kot Razada village of Ajnala tehsil in Amritsar district, Punjab, which had remained abandoned for decades after the Muslim population left the area following Partition in 1947, was officially handed over to the Muslim community last Saturday, after being converted into a Christian school by missionaries.
The historic handover marked the first azan in the village since 1947, and the call to prayer was performed by H K Pathan, a former assistant commissioner of police with the Railway Protection Force, Mumbai, who was visiting Punjab with two members of the Maharashtra College Alumni Association, Nagpada, to distribute aid to families affected by recent floods.
The mosque, built in the early twentieth century, had fallen into a state of disrepair due to the absence of a caretaker, and the village, located near the Ravi River, currently has no Muslim residents.
The handover was facilitated with the involvement of the Maharashtra College Alumni Association, whose members accompanied the Shahi Imam of Punjab during his visit to the area. The village, which had a mixed population of Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, and Muslims in the past, saw local Sikh and Hindu residents request that the mosque be restored to Muslim management.
Founded in 2017 during the golden jubilee of Maharashtra College, the alumni association has been actively involved in charity work, supporting the education of underprivileged students, and providing aid to natural disaster victims, having recently distributed Rs 27 lakh in assistance across Solapur and Punjab. The principal of Maharashtra College welcomed the alumni’s initiative, noting the event’s historic significance and its contribution to the community and the institution’s social mission.