Kajal Ben Shingala, alias Kajal Hindustani, a right-winger hardliner has called for the demolition of an ancient Dargah and other Islamic structures in the the Morbi region of Gujarat. In a speech delivered on October 27, she claimed that members of the Muslim community had illegally encroached upon the Darbargadh area of Morbi.
Kajal Ben, addressing a congregation organised by Jay Ambe Seva Group called for demolition of two mosques which she advocated has been constructed illegally.
“Out of this crowd, if only 500 can tell me that they are against this illegal encroachment that they (Muslims) have done in Darbargadh, then tell me. This campaign should start by tomorrow, and do not rest until these two illegal masjids are destroyed. I will make the strategy and lead it, all I need is your support. If it is illegal, then why do we need to adopt legal means to destroy it? I will get the bulldozer and I will pay for it. If people are standing with me, I will do it. Tell me when should we do this?” – Kajal Hindustani
The event, at which hundreds were present, was also attended by senior journalist and right-wing advocate Pushpendra Kulshrestha as chief guest.
Claiming in her speech that she has the support of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for the demolition, reported The Quint
During the speech she said, “If we go now, Pushpendra (Kulshrestha) bhai will tell us that you called me and went to destroy it. So if you want to listen to him and destroy it, then do it. I am here. I will do it. You can sit down. It feels good that you stood in support of me and I liked that my brothers are with me. If they cannot take permission while doing illegal work, then why do we need permission to destroy it? I had brought the same matter to the parishad also, illegal means are justified to bring down illegal things.”
Ms Kajal, who calls herself a proud Hindu, has been repeatedly posting against the Muslims on her Twitter account. She is followed by PM Modi on Twitter, has been stirring hate through her twitter account.
Sunni Muslim Samaj Writes to the Police, Demands Strict Action
The Sunni Muslim Samaj of Morbi, in a letter to the Morbi Police, has raised a complaint against the communal remarks, reported, the Quint
“Ms Kajal, a member of Jai Ambe group, was seen giving a speech on 27 October about Muslims and destroying masjids and dargahs with bulldozers. This speech has been forwarded on social media and reached people not only in Morbi but in the whole of Gujarat, and has been spreading hate and disrupting the peace here,” the letter states.
“Even if someone has an issue to raise, it should be done in a lawful manner. Nobody has the right to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments. For that, we call for strict action against this person, so that this is not repeated again. To avoid this, we also request police officers to be arranged at gatherings like these,” conveyed the Sunni Muslim Samaj.
The Dargah Is Old, Not Illegal, Says District Collector
The Quint reported that, The Hazrat Ali Peer Shah Dargah, the local shrine that is the bone of contention, is not “a new encroachment” but has been around for ages, said Morbi’s district collector.
“The Dargah is not a new encroachment but it’s a very old Dargah. The area comes under municipal corporation and the officers of municipal corporation have also informed that it’s very old Dargah… So there is no issue of illegality. The matter has come to our light and we are assessing the situation along with the superintendent of police,” District Collector JB Patel stated, alluding to the claims of illegality.
