Bantwal: The revenue officials conducted a survey of the land  of the local Jumma Masjid amid police protection on Saturday July 5 following an order from the Upa Lokayukta in the backdrop of a property dispute between the Badria Jumma Masjid at Nehru Nagar and the Akkarangady Jumma Masjid. The survey was thus conducted peacefully.

The controversy: The Akkarangady Jumma Masjid has been operating since the past several years under the management of the Akkarangady Jamaat Committee.   The Badria Jumma Masjid  at Nehru Nagar was functioning as a branch of the former. However, during the previous general meeting, members had decided to hold Jumma Namaz at the Nehru Nagar Masjid.However, the Akkarangady Masjid Jamaat had opposed the same and said there should be no Namaaz at the Nehru Nagar Jumma Majsid until the issue was settled.

In the meantime, the Akkarangady Jamaat Committee had appealed to the Tahsildar and Survey Department in February  seeking the survey of the 1.49 acre land  after alleging that the Badria Jumma Masjid was operating in the land owned by the Akkarangady Jamaat. But the Revenue Department was postponing the survey  following which the masjid authorities  had complained to the Upa Lokayukta against the Bantwal Tahsildar and the Survey Department. The Joint Director of Land records V Prasanna Kumar had taken the authorities to task in this regard and even served a show cause notice.

In the meantime, as per the Upa Lokayukta directive the survey of three acre land was done on Saturday.