No construction on Kantajew temple land

The Dinajpur district administration yesterday banned all kinds of construction work on the land of the Kantajew Temple in Kaharol upazila, 23 days after the construction of a multi-storey mosque had begun there.

On March 1, newly elected Dinajpur-1 lawmaker Zakaria Zaka laid the foundation plaque for the mosque on the land of the iconic religious structure. The construction began the very next day, stirring much controversy.

At a news briefing yesterday, Shakil Ahmed, deputy commissioner of Dinajpur, confirmed the ban on all kinds of construction on the Kantajew Temple land.

Visiting the site in the morning, he spoke to members of the mosque construction committee and ordered them to suspend the work.

He also met the leaders of the upazila's Hindu community at his office.

At the briefing, the DC said the mosque was being reconstructed on "Debattor land" (land of the Deity) of the Kantajew Temple without any permission taken by the authorities concerned, rendering the construction illegal.

However, he said, the situation is under control there and that a suitable place will be provided for the mosque's construction.

Shafiqul Islam, Kaharol's upazila nirbahi officer, went to the construction site yesterday and hung a notice banning all sorts of construction on the land.

According to locals, a mosque was established on a portion of the land back in 1950 after the Muslim population increased in the district.

In 1976, the then DC leased out that portion to the Muslims to build a makeshift mosque there.

However, a 1999 High Court ruling said Debattor land belongs only to the Deity.

In this regard, DC Shakil said the validity of the lease documents is now being verified by a team led by the UNO.

The terracotta Kantajew Temple dates back to the 18th century. It not only globally represents Bangladesh but also is a UNESCO-listed site in the Indian subcontinent.

It is the most visited religious site for the country's Hindu community and is frequented by devotees from other countries as well.

Dinajpur-1 MP Zaka, also president of Birganj upazila AL, laid the foundation plaque as the chief guest at a programme on March 1.

He had contested the January 7 polls as an independent candidate and emerged victorious after defeating four-time AL lawmaker of the constituency, Manoranjanshil Gopal.

On March 13, Ronojit Kumar Singha, an agent of Raj Debottar Estate in Dinajpur, where the temple stands, sent a letter to the deputy commissioner, urging a halt to the mosque's construction.

Speaking to The Daily Star on Friday, he said, "The mosque was supposed to be built on eight decimals of land of the temple, but they took over 16 decimals and have already gathered construction materials there. The distance between the temple and the construction site is about 500 metres."

The Daily Star saw the papers relevant to the land of Kantajew Temple.

According to Khatian-5 records, the 94.07-acre land was recorded to Maharaja Jagadishnath Roy. It is located around a mile west of the road across the Dhepa river in the Kantanagar village.

The land spans several plots (daags) surrounding the temple. Daag-16 is around 6.48 acres, where the mosque was being constructed.

Ronojit also said that around 63 acres of the land, according to Khatian-5, is under the possession of Raj Debattar Estate while the rest was illegally grabbed and many people have been living there with their families.

"Cases were filed several times to recover the grabbed land."

The Estate committee has been paying the land tax regularly till even last year.

Speaking to The Daily Star on Saturday, Dinajpur-1 MP Zakaria Zaka said, "I have come to know there was already a mosque there in 1950, which was renovated later."

The mosque was demolished just a few days before the construction of the new one began.

"I was also told this entire area is situated on endowment property … The locals wanted the old mosque demolished for a new one. As per their request, I went to the foundation stone laying programme. That was the extent of my involvement here."

He further said, "I had no idea the land was recorded for the temple. I just came to know about it and my opponent is using that to defame me.

"I have no objection to the government's decision in this regard. I've already told them to stop construction."

Meanwhile, leaders of Dinajpur unit of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad expressed their dismay over the construction on the temple's land.

Swarup Bakshi, president of Dinajpur's puja udjapan parishad and Dinajpur Press Club, said the DC suspended the work but we want a permanent solution so that such incidents do not recur.

"Since the construction began, most of the basement work has already been completed."

Former Dinajpur-1 lawmaker Manoranjanshil Gopal said, "This [construction on Deity land] will definitely hurt the communal harmony."

Rashed Ali, treasurer of the mosque construction committee, showed this correspondent the 1976 lease documents. "Daag-16 plot was leased out to us. We started the construction based on that. However, its has been suspended as per the local administration's instructions. We'll act accordingly.

"We will not construct a mosque on disputed land."

He, however, reiterated that a makeshift mosque was already there.

Asked about the lease document, estate agent Ronojit said, "No such document is valid after the HC's 1999 ruling, which stated that the Debattar land is a property of the Deity, which is immortal. It will continue to be the property of the Deity forever."

Ismail Hossain a resident of Kantanagar village, said the mosque was established in 1950, but its semi-pucca structure was rebuilt many times between 1993 and 2010.