Kirit Somaiya detained during protest over Mumbai airport mosque

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and approximately 100 supporters were detained by Mumbai police during a ‘Jail Bharo Satyagraha’ protest near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s Terminal 2. The demonstration was held to demand the demolition of a mosque located near the VIP arrival area, which Somaiya alleges is an unauthorized structure built on 5,000 square feet of government land.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) previously declared the structure unauthorized on September 10, directing the airport operator, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), to initiate removal procedures. Somaiya, who arrived at the site with supporters carrying hammers, warned that failure to act would lead to permanent illegal occupation of the land.

AIMIM leader Waris Pathan has condemned the protest, characterizing it as political polarization and requesting that the police commissioner register an FIR against Somaiya. While Somaiya maintains the structure must be demolished per government orders, representatives for the mosque claim the construction was authorized and that the matter is currently sub judice.