By Syed Affan
In June 2021, Pandit Keshav Dev Gautam, a self-styled ‘anti-corruption activist’ and national Chief of Bhrashtachar Virodhi Sena (BVS), filed a petition with the Municipal Corporation of Aligarh under the Right to Information Act, 2005, demanding information about the Jama Masjid of Aligarh. He claimed that the response revealed that the Jama Masjid of Aligarh, situated in Upperkot, was constructed on “Public Land.”
In a letter to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, in May 2022, demanded a probe, stating that he would approach the court if his demands were not addressed. However, the Aligarh Municipal Corporation had already dismissed those claims at that time.
“I am a Sanatani, social worker, and RTI activist. I follow the thoughts that arise during moments of dhyan (meditation) each morning and night. I focus on what draws my attention during dhyan and write it down”, Keshav Dev introduced himself to me when I interviewed him at his office in Banna Devi, two kilometres away from the Jama Masjid.
Following the response from the Municipal Corporation, he also wrote to the District Magistrate demanding the demolition of the mosque.
In 2022, he said that two FIRs were registered against him when he first made his claims public surrounding the controversial Petition. “The cases are still ongoing, the administration said I was attempting to incite violence. The charges will be struck down soon,” he said confidently.
On January 6, 2025, a petition was filed by Pandit Dev in the Aligarh district court. It claims that the mosque occupies public land illegally and was built over a Shiva temple. The hearing is set to be on February 15, 2025.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
