UP Sunni Waqf Board forms trust to build mosque on alternative site

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board formed a 15-member-trust on Wednesday to look after the construction of a mosque on five acres of land allotted by the Supreme Court that paved the way for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya town in a landmark verdict last year.

Zufar Ahmed Faruqi, chairman the board – which was the main Muslim litigant in the title suit -- said the trust was named as Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation, which will ensure the development of the allocated land in

Dhannipur village in Ayodhya, which the board accepted in February 2020. “The trust will ensure the construction of mosque and other facilities to facilitate the general public,” read a statement issued by the board.

In November last year, the top court directed the Centre to set up a trust for the construction of a temple at the 2.77 acre disputed site in Ayodhya, and allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for building a new mosque. The verdict ended a decades-old dispute over the religious site, where the Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6. 1992.

The board statement stated that the trust would have 15 members. The board’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was nominated as founder trustee. Chairman Faruqi was nominated as the chief trustee. The board also nominated Adnan

Farukh Shah, Athar Hussain, Faez Aftab, Mohammed Junaid Siddiqui, Sheikh Sauduzzaman, Mohammed Rashid and Imran Ahmed as the other members.

“The trust will co-opt the remaining six trustees. The secretary will also be its official spokesperson,” said Faruqi.

The development came on a day state police sounded high alert in all districts with stern direction to intensify vigilance and bolster security during the foundation-laying ceremony of the Ram temple, scheduled to be held in Ayodhya on August 5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay the foundation stone around 12.15pm that day.

IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR, SC DIRECTED THE CENTRE TO SET UP A TRUST FOR BUILDING A TEMPLE AT THE 2.77 ACRE DISPUTED SITE IN AYODHYA