West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has stressed that national security would remain the top priority as his government took a firm position on the controversy surrounding the suspension of entry passes for people offering congregational prayers at a mosque located inside Kolkata airport.
The 136-year-old Gauripur Jama Masjid, also known as the ‘Bankra Masjid’, is situated within the premises of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The possibility of shifting the mosque has been discussed for several years due to concerns linked to airport operations.
Dum Dum Airport has two runways, with the main runway handling regular takeoffs and landings while the second runway is smaller. The mosque is located close to the smaller runway.
Aviation experts have said that any temporary closure of the primary runway for maintenance could create operational difficulties for larger aircraft. Airport officials have also raised concerns that the mosque’s location could pose risks to flight operations, while expansion work on the second runway has reportedly been delayed.
Since Saturday, the airport authorities have stopped issuing entry passes for access through the airport gate, effectively halting prayers at the mosque. Police personnel and security guards have also reportedly been deployed to ensure the maintenance of social harmony.
"National security and security of the airport will gain priority over everything else. As a chief minister, I will not comment further. The location of Kolkata International airport is critical since both China and Bangladesh are close by. It cannot keep its gates open for outsiders," Adhikari said on Sunday.
The Chief Minister rejected allegations that his government was preventing religious practices, saying religious observances could continue as long as they complied with the law.
"We have not stopped anyone from practising their religion, unlike what they (the opposition) said about us. Bakrid (Eid al-Adha) was observed adhering to animal slaughter laws, Muharram was observed without brandishing weapons, and there was no problem. Obey the law and act as good citizens. Observe your religions as a personal matter, without trying to influence others. Then everything will run smoothly," the Chief Minister added.
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar supported Adhikari’s position and said previous governments had avoided addressing the issue due to what he described as appeasement politics.
"Ever since I was a student, I used to read in the newspaper that due to a mosque at Kolkata airport, the runway cannot be constructed and no previous government interfered due to appeasement politics... Now that our government is in power, we don't believe in appeasement politics. The mosque will be relocated," the Union Minister said.
BJP MLA Sourav Sikdar, who represents Dum Dum Uttar, the assembly constituency where the airport is located, alleged that the mosque’s presence within the airport premises had restricted the full use of both runways and created security concerns.
He claimed that visitors arriving for prayers were not required to undergo the same background verification process as others entering the airport.
"An airport is a secured area. Any person entering the airport has to obtain a biometric pass with a photograph. This mosque is located in the highest-security area, known as Level 3," he said.
Sikdar pointed out that the airport handles the movement of high-profile visitors, including the prime minister and the chief minister, apart from serving lakhs of passengers every month.
He added that his party had raised the matter with the concerned authorities, arguing that the existing arrangement could create a security challenge.
However, Siddiqullah Chowdhury, president of the mosque committee and a former minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee government, opposed the suspension of prayer access and highlighted the mosque’s long history at the location.
He said discussions with airport officials and the government were already underway and argued that stopping entry for prayers was unnecessary.
"The mosque has been there for more than 136 years, and there is an ongoing discussion on this issue. We are open to any amicable solution, and there was no need to stop entries for namaz," Chowdhury told news agency PTI.
Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh also backed the move, claiming the mosque had been allowed to remain within the runway area despite operational concerns.
"There was no justification for the mosque being located where it was. It had been deliberately allowed to remain within the runway area. Prayers have now been stopped there as well. I believe they will vacate the site so that the runway extension work can proceed smoothly," Ghosh said.
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