Kirit Somaiya’s ‘Land Jihad’ Push: Airport Masjid, Shivneri Encroachments Face Action
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
