Police complaint against Tipu Sultan Mosque Imam

Kolkata, May 16: A police complaint has been lodged against Tipu Sultan Mosque Shahi Imam Maula Noor-ur Rehman Barkati - the cleric who recently threatened ‘jihad’ and refused to take off the beacon from his vehicle - by the mosque’s trustee board on Monday, an official said. “We have lodged a police complaint against the serving Imam, Maula Noor-ur Rehman Barkati in Bowbazar police station for forcefully stching away the keys of the mosque’s official room,” head of the Board, Anwar Ali Shah told IANS over phone. According to Shah, the office room was opened in the mosque under direct order of the High Court and is being used to store the official documents.

“The documents of complaints against Imam Barkati is stored in the room. It seems he has taken away the keys to destroy those documents so that it does not reach the trustee board for validation,” he alleged. On reports that Barkati has been sacked as the Imam, Shah said nothing has been officially announced by the mosque authority.

However, he revealed that a process has been started to termite him from the post after evaluating the charges against him. “It is not official yet. However, Barkati is aware that steps would be taken against him for constantly making wrong statements and politicising a religious institution. That’s why he is hellbent on destroying the papers,” Shah claimed. The sources at the mosque said that a deputation would be given to the mosque and the respective police station to remove Barkati from the position of Imam, followed by a public meeting on Tuesday. (IANS)