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Indian court wants mosque structure razed, cleric warns of violence

NEW DELHI: An Indian court Monday ordered authorities to demolish a recently constructed washroom adjoining a historic mosque here, but a cleric warned of violence if the demolition was carried out.

The Delhi High Court asked the Indian government and city authorities to raze the washroom within a fortnight, saying that it obstructed a clear view of the imposing 17th-century Jama Masjid mosque.

Judges Y.K. Sabharwal and D.K. Jain said the washroom, built by Jama Masjid officials within its complex in December, was illegal and had been built without the permission of the New Delhi administration.

The Jama Masjid is India's oldest mosque, and its deputy priest, Ahmed Bukhari, warned that the washroom's demolition could spark terrible violence by frenzied Moslems.

"We desperately wanted a place where people who come for prayers can wash their hands and legs," Bukhari told AFP. "We had been urging the authorities to build it for us, but nobody bothered.

"It is our land, it is our property," he said. "But the structure was not meant for us, it was for the thousands and thousands who come for prayers daily at the mosque.

"We are also concerned about a good view (of the mosque), but we are also concerned about providing water facilities.

"Let the authorities build a fresh washroom," he added. "But if they destroy this without building a new one, it will have grave consequences.

"If authorities enter the mosque premises and demolish anything, it will be like demolishing the Jama Masjid," he warned. "They must be prepared to face angry crowds ... People can get killed, there could be curfew."

The Delhi High Court was urged by the Indian National Trust for Culture and Heritage and the Conservation Society of Delhi to order the washroom's demolition to preserve the architectural beauty of the Jama Masjid mosque.

The Jama Masjid, which attracts hundreds of thousands during Moslem festivals, is also visited by foreign tourists and by dignitaries from Islamic countries.-APP