No one’s quite sure when the Akhoondji Masjid was built in Mehrauli. But the “Mosque of Akhondji” was listed in a 1922 publication by an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India who recorded that while its construction date was “unknown”, the mosque was repaired in “1270 AH (1853-4 AD)”, and that it lay west to to an old Idgah that “existed when Timur invaded India in 1398 AD”.
On January 30, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) razed the Akhoondji mosque and a madrasa, describing them as “illegal structures” in Sanjay Van, a reserved forest area. “Removal of the illegal structures, religious in nature, was approved by the Religious Committee, conveyed vide Minutes of Meeting dated 27/01/2024,” the DDA said.
On January 31, the Delhi High Court sought an explanation from the DDA on the basis of which it demolished the mosque, and “whether any prior notice was given before taking the demolition action”.
The DDA was told by the High Court to reply within a week, and the next hearing is scheduled for February 12.
Historians and activists point out that the Sanjay Van was notified as a reserved forest area only in 1994, so how could the old mosque have been an encroachment.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.