Amid speculations over potential communal tension, the deputy commissioner (DC) of Dinajpur on Sunday ordered to stop the reconstruction of a mosque on the endowment land of the historic Kantajew Temple in Kaharol Upazila.
Visiting the site at the upazila’s Kanta Nagar village in the morning, DC Shakil Ahmed asked the mosque management committee to put the reconstruction on hold until the matter was settled.
DC Shakil, also the trustee of the Raj Debottor (endowment) Estate, revealed the information at a press briefing in his office on Sunday afternoon.
“Since the land belongs to the Debottor Estate, permission is a must before any kind of construction there,” he said.
Ranjit Kumar Singh, an agent of the estate, filed a complaint to the DC on March 13, reporting the mosque being reconstructed at the Kanta Nagar Mouja on land owned by Maharaja Jagadish Nath Roy.
Soon after getting the complaint, the upazila nirbahi officer was ordered to take measures to stop the construction and submit a report, the DC said.
During his visit to the disputed land, DC Shakil talked to the mosque committee. After that, he also sat with the estate’s office-bearers.
“So, the decision to halt the construction works was taken after holding talks with both parties,” DC Shakil said, warning that stricter legal measures will be taken if anybody tries to create trouble over the situation.
The DC at the briefing insisted on maintaining communal harmony in the area.
Also known as Kantanagar Temple, the 18th-century brick temple is situated about 12 miles north of Dinajpur town and about a mile west of Dinajpur-Tetulia highway across the Dhepa River.
On December 4, 2015, militants attacked the temple using explosives. The Islamic State militant group later claimed responsibility for the attack.
On June 30, 2016, police charged 13 members of the banned JMB militants.
