Mumbai’s civic body has moved to cut the water supply to a mosque adjoining the city’s international airport, days after a Bharatiya Janata Party leader accused the structure of being part of what he called “land jihad.”
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a notice to authorities managing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, asking them to produce documents showing that the mosque near Terminal 2 has an authorised water connection or disconnect the supply within seven days, reported The Indian Express newspaper.
The action follows a complaint by BJP leader and former lawmaker Kirit Somaiya, who on September 8 demanded the removal of the mosque, alleging that it was operating without permission at the international terminal’s taxi stand.
Somaiya has described the alleged encroachment as “land jihad.”
The BMC’s K-South ward water works department inspected the site on September 16 and found that water was reaching the mosque through a 15-mm pipeline.
In a September 17 letter, the civic body said the connection was “not in the records” of the ward office and sought documentary approval from airport authorities.
If the authorities cannot produce the approval, the BMC has asked them to disconnect the supply, warning that failure to comply could lead to further action under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act.
The dispute extends beyond the water connection. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has separately described the mosque as an unauthorised religious structure and asked airport authorities to remove it, saying the Interim Development Plan for the airport area makes no provision for a public place of worship at the site.
Somaiya has also alleged that around 5,000 square feet of Airports Authority of India land was improperly transferred by officials associated with GVK/Mumbai International Airport Limited and that a roughly 3,000-square-foot mosque was included in the transfer. He has sought an investigation and police action.
These remain allegations; the BMC notice itself concerns the water connection and does not establish ownership or the legality of the land or mosque.
According to Maktoob Media, Somaiya went to Sahar Police Station on Friday seeking an FIR over the alleged land grab. The outlet reported that he has repeatedly used terms including “land jihad,” “school jihad” and “vote jihad” in campaigns involving Muslim institutions and communities.