The Bankra Mosque inside Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is once again at the center of political and security debate. People outside Kolkata may not be aware that this mosque is located very close to the operational area of the airport, about 300 meters from the secondary runway. There has been controversy regarding this for years regarding safety standards and its possible impact on aircraft operations. Now once again this issue came into limelight when the reply of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on the reply of West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya has come out.
The ministry acknowledged that the mosque is located very close to the secondary runway and that it ‘hinders safe aircraft operations’ and ‘impacts the use of the runway in case of non-availability of the primary runway in emergency situations.’ BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya, while sharing this reply of the Aviation Ministry, said that ‘the safety of passengers cannot be put at risk in the name of appeasement politics.’
How did the controversy regarding the mosque start?
This is not the first time that this mosque has come into controversy. Only a few months ago, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had raised serious questions on the security of Kolkata Airport regarding this mosque. He had said that the walls of the airport are not sealed, people are offering namaz in the open area and due to the mosque, plans for airport expansion have been stuck for years.
At the center of the questions being raised regarding the presence of the mosque are two things… the safety of passengers and the operational efficiency of the airport. The airport is a high-security zone and it is natural to raise questions about the presence of any regular public activity or religious place within it. In such a situation, the big question is again emerging that how did this mosque reach inside the international airport?
When was this mosque built?
Actually, the history of this mosque is much older than the airport. According to local people and documents, Bankra Mosque was built in the late 19th century, i.e. 1890s. At that time this entire area was a village and this mosque was situated there. Later in 1924, the British government developed an aerodrome near this area. Even at that time there was population present around the mosque.
As air traffic increased in the 1950s and 1960s, the airport was expanded westward and a secondary runway was constructed. In 1962, the state government acquired the land in this area and handed it over to the Airport Authority. At that time a large part of the village was evacuated, but the mosque remained intact. It is believed that at the time of land transfer, there was some agreement not to disturb the mosque, due to which the structure remained there.
Was the issue of removing the mosque raised before?
Several attempts were made to remove the mosque, but every attempt failed. In 2003, a meeting was held between the then Union Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Even at that time, instead of moving the mosque to another place, it was agreed to slightly bend the runway. According to daily usage, only 50-60 people offer namaz in the mosque every day, whereas on Fridays and Ramzan this number increases manifold.
In 2019, AAI had proposed building an underground tunnel from Jessore Road to reach the mosque so that the ground above could be used for a taxi track, but the proposal did not move forward due to security objections. In the year 2023, AAI started a bus service, through which people reach the mosque through a 225 meter long path. This route passes through the taxiway, from where the planes reach the runway. Therefore this situation becomes even more complex from the operational point of view.
What kind of appeal to religious leaders of Muslims?
Needless to say, this mosque is historic, but its location creates many challenges when it comes to the safety of millions of passengers, efficiency of airport operations and future expansion plans. Famous writer Taslima Nasreen has also written on this issue that ‘Leaders of the Muslim community should come forward and find a solution to shift the mosque to a safe place, this will create a positive image of the society.’
Overall, the controversy is not a result of any political statements but of a land-acquisition decision taken in the 1960s and the impasse that followed for years. Today the same 130 year old mosque is located very close to an international airport, where the complexities related to security and operation are increasing continuously.
