Bhojshala, Dhar district

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The controversy as in March 2024
From: March 12, 2024: The Times of India

See graphic:

The controversy as in March 2024

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Kamal Maula Mosque

2003

Bhojshala is ASI-protected. An ASI 2003 order allows Muslims to offer Friday prayers at the mosque on the site. The order had allowed Hindus to offer prayers on Tuesdays and on Basant Panchami.

The dispute, as in 2016

Shreya Biswas , Feb 12, 2016: India Today

The Dhar town of Madhya Pradesh is on the verge of communal crisis in light of Basant Panchami falling on Friday.

The dispute is over the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque; a religious site claimed by Hindus and Muslims alike. For Hindus, it is the temple of Goddess Wagdevi, i.e. Saraswati. Muslims, on the other hand, believe it to be Kamal Maula mosque.   What is the row about? 
The Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque is protected by the Archaeolgical Survey of India, which allows Hindus to pray here on Tuesdays and on Basant Panchami, and Muslims are allowed to offer namaz here on Fridays.

The shrine turned into a bone of contention after an order was passed in light of Basant Panchami, which is celebrated as the birthday of Goddess Saraswati, falling on a Friday (February 12).

The order allows Hindus to offer prayers for Basant Panchami at Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque from dawn to noon and again from 3.30pm to dusk, leaving the hours between 1 and 3 in the afternoon for the weekly Jumma namaz.

However, the order did not sit well with the Right-wing activists, who demanded that Hindus be allowed at the shrine throughout Friday for worship.

The row so far… 
This is not the first time this problem has occurred. In 2006 and 2013, Basant Panchami fell on a Friday as well.

Hindus have since been asking for an all-day-long access to the shrine on such occasions. A string of petitions have knocked the doors of the High Court regarding the matter.

Activists vouching for the "liberation" of Bhojshala are targetting Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as well for massive security set up to ensure that the order is carried out.

This year, Hindu activist groups such as Dharma Jagaran Manch (DJM) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have scaled up their protest by taking out rallies and asking Hindus to come to the shrine on Friday for Basant Panchami.

On Tuesday, Right-wing activists held a satyagraha outside Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque in protest of their demands for reduced security not being accepted.

Right-wing leader Vijay Singh Rathore has demanded that Hindus be allowed a "dawn-to-dusk" access on Friday for the occasion of Basant Panchami.   The security set up…

Despite the demands of the security being reduced, the government has not given in so far and has stuck to the ASI formula of letting Hindus into the shrine only for the specified timings.

Heavy security bandobust has been set up in and around Bhojshala-Kamal Maula mosque to check any communal violence on the occasion of Basant Panchami.

Reports say that more than 6,000 security personnel have been deployed to the area, with police and RAF turning Dhar into a fortress with barricades and guards crawling the town.