Kolkata: Authorities have suspended entry to the Gauripur Jama Masjid, located within Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport.
Devotees were so long required to present their ID cards and passes at the airport’s gate No. 8, along Jessore Road, and avail of a designated shuttle to the mosque after undergoing screening by CISF personnel.
However, the airport has stopped issuing entry passes, thereby stopping prayers in the mosque following objections from Aviation security officials about civilian access across active aircraft taxiways.
“National security and security of the airport will gain priority over everything else… The location of Kolkata International airport is critical since both China and Bangladesh are close by. It cannot keep its gates open for outsiders,” Adhikari said on the controversy over namaz being stopped at the mosque.
“We have not stopped anyone from practising their religion, unlike what they (the opposition) said about us. Bakrid (Eid al-Adha) was observed adhering to animal slaughter laws, Muharram was observed without brandishing weapons, and there was no problem. Obey the law and act as good citizens. Observe your religion as a personal matter, without trying to influence others. Then everything will run smoothly,” the Bengal CM advised.
There has been talk about relocating the 136-year-old mosque, also known as Bankra Masjid, for a long time. Located close to the smaller of two runways at the Kolkata airport, the mosque poses a risk to planes taking off and landing, according to experts.
Work on expanding this second runway has been stalled. If the main runway has to be temporarily closed for maintenance or other reasons, there will be problems with the smaller runway.
‘No appeasement politics’
Amid renewed calls to relocate the mosque to ensure expansion of the second runway, Union minister Sukanta Majumdar backed the move.
“Ever since I was a student, I used to read in newspapers that due to a mosque at Kolkata airport, the runway cannot be constructed and no previous government interfered due to appeasement politics… Now that our government is in power, we don’t believe in appeasement politics. The mosque will be relocated,” the Union Minister said.
Sourav Sikdar, BJP MLA from Dum Dum Uttar under whose assembly segment the airport falls, claimed that people visiting the mosque for prayers are not subjected to background verification.
“An airport is a secured area. Any person entering the airport has to obtain a biometric pass with a photograph. This mosque is located in the highest-security area, known as Level 3,” Sikdar explained why the mosque poses a security risk.
Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh said the mosque had been “deliberately” allowed to function within the runway area.
“There was no justification for the mosque being located where it was. It had been deliberately allowed to remain within the runway area. Prayers have now been stopped there as well. I believe they will vacate the site so that the runway extension work can proceed smoothly,” Ghosh said.
‘No need to stop namaz’
Siddiqullah Chowdhury, president of the mosque committee and a former minister in the Trinamool Congress government, questioned the suspension of prayers.
“The mosque has been there for more than 136 years. There is an ongoing discussion on this issue. We are open to any amicable solution, and there was no need to stop entries for namaz,” PTI quoted Chowdhury as saying.
