Amid tension, people of Dawoodi Bohra (Shabab) offered Friday prayer at Vazeehpura Mosque which is under the control of Dawoodi Bohra (Youth) group since the conflict between both communities rose in 1977.

Nearly after 34 years, it was the first time that the majority sect of Dawoodi Bohra community have prayed in the mosque which has been controlled by the minority sect since the start of their reform movement, lasted till date.

Today on September 23, 2011 nearly 500 men and women of Shabab community has offered Namaz in Vazeehpura mosque, while youth members prayed in imamat (headship) of Anees Hitawala, a person who belongs to Bohra Youth community.

Heavy police force was deployed near mosque which is also close to a Dargah in Boharwari area due to sensitivity of the situation, the top police officers including Additional Magistrate; City M.L. Chohan was present there.

Police and administration tried to stop the majority group to offer prayers in the mosque believing that it could create tension between both the communities but people of Shabab community tried to convince authority that there only intention is to offer namaz and nothing else.

After a long discussion with police officials, Bohra Youth Community representatives allowed the rival group to offer namaz only in condition of praying in the headship of their appointed imam. Though Shahbab group did not agreed to the proposal but prayed in the same mosque.

According to unofficial sources, the tension sparked today morning when community members of Shabab had a heated argument with police over the issue of construction going inside Dargah of Syedi Lukman ji which was claimed illegal by Youth group.

Soon after the argument which is still not clear, a SMS was sent to Shabab community members “requesting them to attend namaz at Vazeehpura Mosque.”

Asghar Ali Muhib, Vice President Bohra Youth Jamaat said,“When we were informed about their (Shabab’s) wish to offer namaz in our mosque, we whole heartedly welcomed them but our condition was only one that they should follow common rule of offering namaz, but they didn’t, they came here to disturb us.”

We could not contact anyone from Shabab group to comment on the matter, though the community spokesperson Dr. B Momin and other social and religious dignitaries including the manager of Dargah Shekih Shamoil, social worker Shabbir Mustafa and President of Jamaat Saifuddin Jamali were present in the mosque.

Deputy Inspectors Anant Kumar and Dayanand Sarang were controlling the situation with CIs of major police thana of city including CI Ratan Chawla of Hathipol, Niranjan Alaha of Ambamata and Ram Sumer of Sukher thana.