Overview
- Police used Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to bar gatherings near Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Friday and deployed Central Armed Police Forces and rapid response units to enforce the order.
- Siddiqullah Chowdhury, who had urged worshippers to gather for Friday namaz, reached the Bankra/Gauripur mosque but withdrew the planned mass congregation after discussions with senior police officers.
- Thousands of worshippers across West Bengal registered protest by wearing black armbands during Friday prayers as access to the 136-year-old mosque inside the airport perimeter remained suspended.
- Aviation officials and the state government say the mosque sits about 165 metres from the airport’s secondary runway and blocks runway work and the installation of modern Instrument Landing Systems, citing passenger and national security concerns.
- The dispute has crossed the border with protests in Bangladesh targeting a BJP MLA, and authorities say they will follow legal procedures while proposing a replacement mosque and a rehabilitation package for worshippers.