The dispute related to Namaz on the day of Basant Panchami in Bhojshala of Dhar, Madhya Pradesh has reached the Supreme Court. An organization named Hindu Front for Justice has demanded to stop Muslims from offering Namaz there on that day. The matter was placed before the bench headed by the Chief Justice. The bench has asked for hearing on Thursday, January 22.
This year the festival of Basant Panchami and Saraswati Puja is on Friday, 23 January. The petition states that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has given permission to Muslims to offer Namaz in the Bhojshala premises on Friday, but this time it is Friday on the day of Saraswati Puja, hence, the court should ask to stop the Namaz there on that day.
In the petition filed through lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, it has been said that there is a temple of Maa Vagdevi i.e. Saraswati in the Bhojshala premises. It was built by a king of the Parmar dynasty in the 11th century. Hindus have been worshiping here for a long time. On 7 April 2003, ASI issued an order. In that order, Hindus were allowed to worship every Tuesday and Basant Panchami. Whereas Muslims were allowed to offer namaz every Friday from 1 to 3 pm.
It has been said in the petition that the ASI order does not make it clear what will happen when Basant Panchami is on Friday? Basant Panchami is a very sacred festival for the followers of Sanatan Dharma and traditional worship of Mother Saraswati has been happening on this day for a long time. Whenever Basant Panchami falls on a Friday, simultaneous worship and namaz leads to chaos, confrontation and sometimes communal tension.
It has also been alleged in the petition that ASI has given permission for Friday prayers without determining the religious nature of the monument, which is against the spirit of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Act (AMASR Act). The petitioner has demanded that the Supreme Court should not allow Namaz to be held in Bhojshala on January 23. Also, ask the ASI and the local administration to ensure tight security arrangements there on that day.
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