MUMBAI: Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya’s campaign against alleged unauthorised religious constructions has yielded two successive administrative breakthroughs in Maharashtra, with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) ordering the removal of an unauthorised mosque-like structure near Mumbai airport and the Maharashtra government directing officials to act against unauthorised constructions in the protected area around Shivneri Fort.
The two developments came within days of Somaiya personally visiting the sites, documenting the alleged violations and demanding action from the authorities.
The Mumbai airport case has already moved from allegation to an official finding. In a letter dated September 8 to Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), the MMRDA stated that it had not granted permission for the structure/mosque located near the VIP arrival and taxi stand area of Terminal 2 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
Mumbai Airport "Land JIHAD"
MMRDA (Maharashtra Govt) says it's illegal Masjid. NO permission given
MMRDA asked MIAL Mumbai International Airport Ltd to demolish the ilegal Structure/Masjid immediately.
I requested MIAL & MMRDA to register FIR against the Trustees, Persons… pic.twitter.com/OnZKYe8p53
— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) September 10, 2026
The authority further stated that there was no provision, reservation, allocation or designation of any plot for a place of public worship in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the notified area.
MMRDA subsequently directed MIAL to take necessary action for removal of the structure by following due procedure.
Somaiya, who has been spearheading several exposes of fake IDs and land grabs by illegal immigrants especially from Bangladesh “land jihad”, highlighted the development as a victory and demanded that the authorities go further by registering an FIR against the trustees and others responsible for the construction.
From airport inspection to demolition order
The controversy began after Somaiya visited the area near the Terminal 2 taxi parking zone and alleged that an unauthorised mosque had been constructed on land adjoining the airport facilities.
Mumbai Airport illegal Masjid
मुंबई हवाई अड्डे पर अवैध मस्जिद #LandJihad @BJP4India @Dev_Fadnavis @mybmc @MumbaiPolice pic.twitter.com/kclvORXiRB— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) September 5, 2026
Somaiya had inspected the site on September 5 along with officials and exposed through a walkthrough video that the premises had been enclosed with metal sheets and that four rooms had been constructed inside. He also alleged the presence of air-conditioning units and unauthorised electricity and water connections. A board identifying the structure as a mosque had allegedly been removed before an inspection. Several taps and platforms for the vazu ritual were clearly seen, meant to serve hundreds of people in a brief span of time.
Somaiya subsequently publicised the issue on social media, posting a video of the structure and tagging Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the BJP and the BMC while pointing out to the “illegal masjid” and attempt at “land jihad”.
The matter then reached the MMRDA.
Its September 8 communication to MIAL is significant because it does not merely repeat Somaiya’s allegation. It records the planning authority’s position that no permission had been issued for the structure and that no place of public worship had been earmarked there under the applicable development plan. MMRDA also pointed out that under the Operations, Management, and Development Agreement, MIAL is responsible for planning, developing, constructing and maintaining infrastructure and facilities within the notified area.
Somaiya has now demanded an FIR against those behind the construction, arguing that merely removing the structure would not establish accountability.
The airport episode therefore marks the first of the two developments where Somaiya’s intervention has been followed by a formal administrative direction for removal.
Shivneri becomes the second battleground
Even as the airport controversy moved towards removal, Somaiya turned his attention to Shivneri Fort in Junnar, Pune district, the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Somaiya visited the fort area and alleged that an unauthorised dargah was being constructed close to the protected heritage zone. In a video posted on social media, he showed the illegal encroachment and construction which is a form of “land jihad” and demanded its removal.
Land JIHAD at Shivneri Fort ( birth place of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj)… Construction of ilegal DARGAH
शिवनेरी किल्ल्यावर (छत्रपती शिवाजी महाराजांचे जन्मस्थान) लँड जिहाद
बेकायदेशीर दर्ग्याचे बांधकाम pic.twitter.com/ezFlH2gyWT— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) September 7, 2026
The issue acquired greater significance because Shivneri is a site of exceptional historical and heritage importance. The state government has now ordered an objective examination of unauthorised constructions, graves, dargahs and other structures in and around the fort.
On September 8, Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar chaired a meeting with senior officials, including the district collector, superintendent of police, Archaeological Survey of India officials, state archaeology officials, tehsildar and police officers. The government said the exercise would establish whether structures in the protected and buffer zones violate applicable heritage regulations.
Importantly, the government has decided not to rely merely on competing claims about when individual structures came up.
Collector, SP, Archeological Officer (Pune) agreed to demolish ilegal structures of "Dargah Shariff'' Junnar at Shivneri in few days.
जिल्हाधिकारी, पोलीस अधीक्षक, पुरातत्व अधिकारी (पुणे) यांनी शिवनेरी किल्ला येथील 'दर्गाह शरीफ'च्या बेकायदेशीर बांधकामांना काही दिवसांत पाडण्याचे… pic.twitter.com/5uvyPDFPpC
— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) September 8, 2026
Officials have been directed to use the Centre’s Netra app and satellite imagery, along with the Maharashtra government’s Maha State system, to establish the chronology of constructions. The ASI will also conduct a physical inspection and submit a report on whether the structures violate the rules applicable to the World Heritage site’s buffer zone.
The state has ordered that where structures are found to be unauthorised, notices should be issued and further action taken within seven days.
Somaiya subsequently said that the Collector, Superintendent of Police and Pune Archaeology officials had agreed to demolish the illegal structures associated with the dargah within a few days.
That makes the Shivneri development a second, but still ongoing, administrative victory for Somaiya. Unlike the airport case, where MMRDA has already formally directed MIAL to remove the unauthorised structure, demolition at Shivneri will happen after verification, statutory procedure and the findings of the authorities are completed.
A pattern of confrontation followed by official action
The significance of the two episodes lies in the sequence.
At Mumbai airport, Somaiya identified and publicly confronted the unauthorised mosque in a sensitive location. The MMRDA subsequently confirmed that it had issued no permission and directed MIAL to take action for its removal.
At Shivneri, Somaiya raised the alleged unauthorised construction near one of Maharashtra’s most important historical monuments. The state government subsequently convened a high-level review and ordered satellite-based verification, physical inspection and time-bound action against structures found to be unauthorised.
In the airport case, the official finding is specifically that the structure had no MMRDA permission and that no place of public worship was designated at the site. In the Shivneri case, the government has ordered an objective investigation to establish the age and legality of the structures before action is taken.
For Somaiya, however, the sequence represents a rapid succession of political and administrative gains: an alleged illegal mosque at one of Mumbai’s most sensitive public facilities has been formally ordered removed, while similar but large scale encroachments by a masjid structure around Shivneri have been placed under a seven-day government action mechanism.
The BJP leader is now pressing for the next step in both cases: not merely removal of structures found to be illegal, but identification and prosecution of those responsible for putting them up.
In his latest airport post, Somaiya said he had requested MMRDA and MIAL to register an FIR against the trustees and other persons behind the construction. At Shivneri, meanwhile, the government’s technology-assisted verification and ASI inspection will determine which structures can legally remain and which face removal.
Thus, within a single week, Somaiya’s campaign has moved from on-site findings and social-media exposure to official government action at two high-profile locations: Mumbai’s international airport and the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
From ‘Shivrayanchi Durgagatha’ to Ground Action at Shivneri
The government’s focus on protecting Maharashtra’s fort heritage comes against the backdrop of a larger effort to place the state’s historic military legacy on the global stage. Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar recently highlighted the UNESCO recognition of 12 forts in Maharashtra as World Heritage sites and announced the production of the documentary Shivrayanchi Durgagatha, covering those 12 forts along with three other important forts in the state.
दुर्गगाथा शिवरायांची!
UNESCO कडून महाराष्ट्रातील १२ ऐतिहासिक गडकिल्ल्यांना जागतिक वारसा म्हणून मिळालेली मान्यता ही आपल्या सर्वांसाठी अत्यंत अभिमानास्पद बाब आहे.
आपला हा देदिप्यमान इतिहास, शिवकालीन युद्धनीती आणि गडकिल्ल्यांचं हे अथांग वैभव जगाच्या कानाकोपऱ्यात पोहोचावं, यासाठी… pic.twitter.com/umc17bGGVF
— Adv. Ashish Shelar – ॲड. आशिष शेलार (@ShelarAshish) September 10, 2026
The documentary is being produced through the Maharashtra Film, Theatre and Cultural Development Corporation, with the stated objective of taking the history, military strategies and heritage of the Shivaji era to audiences across the world.
This makes the government’s latest directive on Shivneri particularly significant. The same fort heritage being projected internationally is now also the subject of a demand for strict enforcement of the rules governing its protected surroundings. The administration has therefore been asked to establish, through satellite imagery and physical inspection, which structures have come up in violation of the applicable heritage and protected-zone regulations and to act against those found to be unauthorised.
