Don’t build mosque at Nerul, give plot for school, says VHP

NERUL: More than 500 residents blocked the Palm Beach Road near NMMC headquarters on Friday to oppose the allotment of a plot for a mosque at Sector 15 of Seawoods.

The construction of the mosque has already started.

The city unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other Hindu organisations had organized the protest.

The VHP claimed that the area has little Muslim population and there is no school in the area and so the plot should be allotted for a school.

Several protestors were detained by NRI coastal police and released later.

A memorandum was submitted to deputy municipal commissioner Jagannath Sinnarkar, demanding the mosque be removed from the area.

Bajrang Dal leader Uddhav Kharade, who led the protest, said: “The plot had initially been earmarked for a Central School. However, there was a change in reservation of the plot a few years ago and Cidco allotted the plot for a mosque.”

A source said, “The matter had ended up in litigation with the court deciding in favour of the construction of the mosque.”

Asked why a protest had been held despite the court order on the issue, Vaibhav Kulkarni, a Bajrang leader said, “We are doing it in a democratic manner.” He said, “When the plot was allotted for a mosque, the situation was different. Now the area has a 98% Hindu population and so a mosque is not required here.”

He added, “Taking into consideration the present situation, the allotment of the plot for the mosque should be cancelled and given to the school.”

BACHCHAN KUMAR Women protesters block Palm Beach Road, near NMMC headquarters, on Friday.