AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi criticised Eknath Shinde and linked the issue of the Malang Dargah to the Ayodhya Ram Mandir movement.
Malanggad is located in Kalyan in Maharashtra’s Thane district. Interestingly, on its website, the Maharashtra government refers to it as Haji Malanggad.
“I know your feelings about Malanggad. Anand Dighe started the liberation movement of Malanggad, after which we have started saying Jai Malang Shri Malang,” Eknath Shinde said at a rally in Thane on Wednesday. Anand Dighe is the political mentor of the Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Chief Minister.
“I want to let you know that there are certain things that can’t be said in public. I know that there are certain beliefs that you have in your hearts about the liberation of Malanggad. Let me say this, Eknath Shinde won’t remain quiet till he fulfils your wishes,” Shinde said.
WHAT IS THE MALANGGAD ISSUE?
At the heart of this dispute lies the Haji Malang Dargah, a 300-year-old shrine dedicated to Baba Abdur Rehman Malang, a Sufi saint who arrived in India from the Middle East in 12th century AD.
Historically, Malanggad was constructed by King Naladev of the Maurya Dynasty in the seventh century. It has been claimed by some historians that KIng Naladev married off his daughter to the Sufi saint.
It later fell into the hands of the Marathas in the 17th century before being conquered by the British. The fort is built on three small parts of the hill and is located in Kalyan, on the outskirts of Mumbai.
The controversy primarily revolves around the identity of the sacred site situated atop Malanggad. While the Muslim community venerates it as the final resting place of Baba Abdur Rehman Malang, a section of the Hindu community claims it as the Machindranath Samadhi, a temple dedicated to a revered figure in the Nath Sampraday tradition. This claim suggests that the tomb is actually that of Sree Macchindranath, an incarnation of Navanath.
There are reports of tensions, particularly during festivals, when both communities gather to perform their respective rituals. These led to police involvement and legal action against individuals from both communities, according to reports.
THE LEGAL AND POLITICAL CASE
The Shiv Sena, has been at the forefront of the campaign to reclaim the site as a Hindu temple. In 1996, local Hindus, supported by Anand Dighe of the Shiv Sena and with the backing of party chief Bala Saheb Thackrey, succeeded in officially changing the name from Haji Malang to Malanggad.
Despite these efforts, the dargah continues to be a shared space where, traditionally, both a Hindu vahivatdar (priest) and a Muslim mutavalli (caretaker) officiated at religious ceremonies, reflecting a syncretic tradition unique to the region.
The Supreme Court of India, in a case dating back to 1968, referred to the site as a dargah, and historical documents such as the Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency from 1882 corroborate the existence of Haji Abd-ul-Rahman’s tomb in Malanggad. However, there is no mention of Machindranath’s tomb in these records.
OWAISI CRITICISES SHINDE, FADNAVIS
This isn’t the first time that Eknath Shinde has raked up the Malanggad issue. There is a video of Shinde offering a saffron ‘chaddar’ (shawl) and performing ‘aarti’ at the disputed shrine. That video was shared extensively in February 2023.
It is the timing of Shinde’s mention of Malanggad that has made politicians link it to the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The idol of the deity at the Ram Mandir will be consecrated on January 22.
“Maharashtra CM and Deputy CM are openly celebrating criminal acts and inciting people to commit crime. This is the direct result of the civil & criminal Babri judgments. The judgments may have emboldened such acts,” AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said on Wednesday.
“Men who have taken a constitutional oath feel no shame in targeting Muslim places of worship,” Owaisi said.
The Malanggad dispute remains unresolved, awaiting a verdict from the courts. And if it serves as a controversial temple-dargah issue raked up by politicians, it also shows the syncretic nature of the region.
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