Udaipur’s Dawoodi Bohra Community (Reformist/Youth) carried out a rally today to protest the alleged illegal construction that is going on at the shrine (dargah) of Syedi Lukmaan by the rival group of Dawoodi Bohra (Shia Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat/Shabab).

Many community members including women and children were seen attending the rally, raising slogans against the alleged illegal possession of the Dargah by the other group of Dawoodi Bohra community.

The rally started from boharwadi and ended at the collector’s office, where community members including women strongly opposed and demanded action against shabab group.

Later, the president of Dawoodi Bohra (Youth) along with other senior members of the community handed over a memorandum to the administrative authority demanding urgent action to stop the ongoing construction work at the shrine.

Community spokesman Anees Miyaji said that “nobody can hurt our sentiments attached with this 250 year old shrine. If our demands will not be heard, we will go for indefinite dharna at the collector’s office.”

What’s the Issue?

There is a shrine of the Bohra Saint Syedi Lukman in the Wazeerpura area of Boharwadi, the Dawoodi Bohra (Shabab group) has intended to change the flooring of Dargah with a NOC issued by the WAQF board.

According to the allegations of the Dawoodi Bohra (Youth Group) the Shabab group is not only changing the flooring of dargah but also the interiors and the historical architecture of this hundreds of year old shrine.

It is also said that the Shabab group has not obtained any NOC from the WAQF board to renovate the dargah and that the WAQF board has set it compulsory to take a permission prior to any sort of construction or renovation work from the district authority, which the shabab group has not taken and is continuing with the construction work, which is illegal.

Bohra offering afternoon prayers in front of collector’s office, Udaipur

What is illegal construction?

Shabab group has changed the marble flooring of the compound of the dargah but as per the youth group; the digging work has surpassed the dargah compound and is now stretching near a building adjacent to dargah compound. It is assumed that the Shabab group is planning to erect pillars too.

Who is Shia Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat or Shabab group?

Majority of Dawoodi Bohra in the world are Shia Dawoodi Bohra, in Udaipur they are also known as Shabab.

Who is Dawoodi Bohra Jamaat or Youth group?

It is a small group of Dawoodi Bohra famously known as the reformists; most of their religious beliefs are same as the majority group has but the reformists rejects several laws and fundamentals that the shabab group abides to.

The conflict in the Bohra communities started in 1973 and it still remains unresolved.