KOLKATA: Security has been deployed around Bankra mosque following a call for a peaceful protest by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’s West Bengal president Siddiqullah Chowdhury after authorities stopped access to the mosque, located within Kolkata airport premises, citing security concerns.Prayers at the mosque have remained suspended for nearly a week, prompting opposition from local residents and the mosque committee.Addressing a press conference, Chowdhury appealed to local residents to gather near the mosque entrance on Jessore Road at 11.30 am after offering Jumma prayers. Participants have been asked to wear black badges and armbands, while he stressed that the gathering would remain peaceful.“It has been five or six days and there has been no protest. After Friday prayers, local residents will go to the gate wearing badges and hold a peaceful protest before returning,” Chowdhury said. “There will be no microphones, no canvassing and no coercion. We, the people of the locality, will go to the gate after the Friday prayers. No one from elsewhere in Bengal will be there. This is our mosque.”Chowdhury claimed that the mosque committee possesses official documents issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) permitting namaz and Ramadan iftar at the mosque and questioned the basis for the indefinite restriction.“We believe the legal route is the best course of action. We will not do anything unlawful,” he said.Prayers at the mosque have remained suspended since last Saturday. The AAI had initially barred access for two days, citing repairs to the approach road. The restriction was later extended indefinitely after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) raised concerns over visitors entering the airside zone using Aadhaar cards as identification.A senior airport official said on Thursday that entry to the mosque would remain prohibited until further security reviews and inspections are completed.Members of the mosque committee have opposed the move, saying they have always complied with security requirements and cooperated with airport authorities.“We took full responsibility while offering namaz and never allowed outsiders, including media personnel, inside. We have been praying there for years. Why are we being stopped now?” said Abul Kalam, a prominent member of the Bankra community.Kalam said land records from the Cadastral Survey, Revisional Settlement and Land Reforms documents recognise the mosque, which he said has existed on the premises since 1890. He added that these records were presented before the North 24 Parganas district magistrate and airport officials during a meeting in May, and that the committee would approach the court if access to the mosque continues to be denied.(With Agency Inputs)
