After Sarasbaug closure, plea against entry ban on religious ground

Time of India

5 hours ago

Pune: Activists from the Muslim community on Monday submitted a letter to the district collector's office requesting an enquiry into the closure of Sarasbaug on Sunday after Rajya Sabha member Medha Kulkarni wrote to PMC objecting celebration of Basi Eid by eating non-vegetarian food in the garden that also hosts a temple.
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Anwar Shaikh, director of Miss Farha Charitable Foundation who wrote the letter, claimed that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)'s decision to keep Sarasbaug closed was "discriminatory in nature", and action must be taken against officials involved in the decision. Basi Eid was celebrated a day after Saturday's Eid-al-Adha.
Shaikh, who tried meeting the PMC commissioner and district collector on Monday but could not, submitted his letter in their respective offices.
Shaikh said he would move court, the state human rights commission and other constitutional forums for justice if timely action was not taken. "We also want a public apology from PMC officials for hurting the sentiments and denying public access. They should also give written assurances that no public space will be closed in future based on religion, politics or biased recommendations," he said.
Shaikh in his letter to the collector said the decision "created a sense of alienation and exclusion among tax-paying citizens, especially Muslims, who have an equal right to every public facility and violated the right to equality (Article 14), freedom to practice religion (Article 25), and freedom of movement and expression (Article 19) enshrined in the Constitution".
When contacted, PMC commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said he would examine the issue, check if the place (Sarasbaug) had been historically used for celebrations after Eid, and why the gardens department issued a closure notice on Sunday.
He said: "The allegation that I acted solely on the MP's letter is untrue. I received MP Medha Kulkarni's letter on Friday. As I do not know details about this garden, I called the head of the gardens department and told him to look into the matter.
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There is a temple inside the garden. I only know that Muslims were not allowed to visit the temple premises," he said.
Ram said: "However, if the Muslims were not allowed into the garden, then I will ask the head of the gardens department on what basis the decision was taken. There was no intention to hurt any religious sentiments."
Shaikh, however, said the public garden has hosted many Hindu religious festivals and even stayed open late to facilitate such festivals.
"We have never objected to the park being used for Hindu religious festivals, because we respect all religions. Then why are we being discriminated against? Today it is the park, tomorrow you may block hospitals for us, saying we eat non-vegetarian food. If they wanted to protect the sanctity of the temple, they could have cordoned off the area around the temple or instructed people not to eat anything," he Shaikh.
MP Kulkarni told TOI that she had asked PMC to close the garden on Sunday as various Hindu organisations had complained that non-vegetarian food could be consumed on the temple premises during Basi Eid.
"The entire area belongs to the temple trust, which was leased to PMC. It is not that the garden is separate from the temple. One can eat non-vegetarian food at home, but not near the temple."
Arvind Shinde, the city unit chief of Congress, said the PMC's "action was unconstitutional". He said: "I spoke to the commissioner over the phone and told him to take action against the superintendent of the civic body's gardens department. In all these years, nobody has complained about eating anything in the garden. This is the first time an MP is trying to disturb the harmony of Pune. If you had an issue with people eating non-vegetarian food, you should have said that or banned all kinds of eating on the garden premises.