New Delhi, 06 Aug 2014: A delegation of leaders of various Muslim organisations, led by Mohammad Ahmad, secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, on Monday visited riot-hit Saharanpur and met with leaders and locals of both Muslim and Sikh communities to discuss about the recent clashes between Sikhs and Muslims over the possession of land belonging to a century old mosque.

Communal clashes broke out between Sikhs and Muslims on July 26, which claimed three lives and more than 30 persons were injured. The State government has set up a high-level inquiry which has to submit a report within two weeks.

During their visit, the delegation met with Congress leader Imran Masood and also visited the Askari Masjid site. They discussed the legal and historical aspects of the mosque and the role of the police and administration during the riots and curfew in Saharanpur since last week. They also met with Samajwadi Party leader Sanjay Garg and office bearers of the Guru Singh Sabha.

The delegation was told by locals that the mosque, which was belonged to and was built by a person named Hasan Askari, was more than a 100-years-old. Askari had migrated to Pakistan in 1965 and since then prayers were not regularly offered there because no Muslim resided there. Askari had sold his properties nearby the mosque site to two Hindu women before moving to Pakistan. The delegation was told that there was an agreement between Askari and the women that the mosque will remain at the same place. People from the Sikh community later purchased the land from the women. Disputes occurred between the Sikhs and Muslims in the late 90s but the court had stayed any kind of construction at the site.

The mosque is registered under the Sunni Waqf Board with registration number 1858. On July 26, clashes erupted when some people belonging to the Sikh community started some construction at the mosque’s site. During the meeting, Sikh community leaders severely stressed that the Muslims should take land elsewhere for the mosque and leave this one.

Maulana Rafiq Qasmi, Maulana, secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, president of All India Muslims Majlis-e-Mushawarat, Abdul Hameed Nomani, general secretary of Jamiat Ulama Hind, Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji, vice president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board and S.Q.R. Ilyas, general secretary of Welfare Party of India were part of the delegation.