Waqf board to build mosque, hospital on allotted 5-acre plot

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board (SCWB) announced on Monday that it would accept the five acres allotted to it as part of the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute case on November 9.

The board, one of the main litigants in the case, also announced the formation of a trust to look after the construction of the mosque as well as an Indo-islamic centre, a grand hospital and a public library -all of which will come up on the land.

Monday’s announcement came after the SCWB held a meeting of its members to discuss issues related to compliance with the SC order. Chairman of SCWB, Zufar Ahmed Farooqui, said: “In the board meeting, it was decided to accept the five acres and to form a trust to look after the conpetition. struction of the mosque.”

Farooqui said the trust would also construct a centre that will highlight the rich Indo-islamic culture.

Farooqui said the construction of the centre, a hospital and a library, were all suggested by board members. He said the size of the mosque will be decided keeping in mind local needs.

Including Farooqui, the Sunni Waqf Board has eight members. Six of them attended the meeting.

On November 9, the board welcomed the apex court’s order in a press conference and said it would not file a review In a historic verdict on November 9 on the Ram Janmabhoomi-babri Masjid dispute, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of construction of a temple. It also ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque within Ayodhya. Based on the verdict, the Centre asked the Uttar Pradesh government to allot five acres of land to SCWB.

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet, after its meeting on February 5, alloted the land in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil of Ayodhya district.

The land, which was inspected by a team from SCWB last week, is 18 km from the district headquarters Faizabad (Ayodhya), 200 metres from the highway and is easily accessible.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Jamiat Ulema-e-hind, also parties to the case, have rejected the offer of land for the mosque.

PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad high court has directed the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary, the state director general of police, the director general of Central Reserve Police Force, the vice chancellor and the registrar of the Aligarh Muslim University to follow the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission in relation to alleged violence against students and their arbitrary detention during protests in December last year.

The high court also asked for action against policemen, who attacked students during the anti-citizenship Amendment Act protests in AMU on December 15 last year. In its report, the NHRC said the students were attacked “unnecessarily”. The court directed the officers concerned to comply with the order and file a compliance report by March 25.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and justice Samit Gopal passed the order on a petition filed by Mohd Aman Khan of Prayagraj alleging police brutality.

The petitioner requested the high court to pass several directions, including creation of a

“court-monitored committee” to look into acts of violence and arbitrary detention of students by the state police and paramilitary forces at AMU between December 12 and 15 last year.

On January 8, 2020, the HC asked the NHRC to conduct an inquiry into the matter. A sixmember team later conducted a probe and the commission accepted the report. A copy of the report was sent to the high court. The recommendations made by the commission include compensation to six students, disciplinary action against policemen seen in CCTV footage attacking students and damaging motorcycles on the AMU campus.

The NHRC also recommended that the police force, the CRPF and Rapid Action Force should be sensitised and special training modules be organised so they can better handle such situations.

“In pursuance of the directions given by this court on January 8, 2020, an inquiry has been conducted by a team of the NHRC. The report submitted by the team has also been accepted by the Commission. A copy of the report along with order of proceedings has been sent to this court by the registrar (Law) of the NHRC,” the high court said.

PANAJI: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Monday urged the youth of the country to indulge in peaceful dissent rather than destruction and violence.

Addressing students at the 32nd convocation of the Goa University, Naidu asked students to channelize their energy towards nation-building activities.

“The need of the hour is to channelise the nation building activities. My advice to [the] youth is: shun negativity. We are not under foreign rule .... Silently, without the need of violence you can change government. So please shun negativism. Violence has no place in democracy,” Naidu said.

“Some people are discussing [that] dissent is not allowed. Dissent is essence of democracy .... Nobody can be allowed to speak against the nation,” Naidu said.

“Whether it is [Article] 370… how it came, how it has gone… triple talaq, the CAA and what is there in that. Does it affect the Indian citizens or not? Study, study,” he said.

His comments have come in the wake of several students-led protests against the CAA.

It was decided to accept the five-acre land and to form a trust to look after the construction of the mosque ZUFAR AHMED FAROOQUI, board chairman