The Delhi Waqf Board has sought urgent protection for the nearly 300-year-old Race Course mosque in New Delhi after its electricity and water connections were allegedly disconnected during a demolition drive in the surrounding area on October 7.
In letters dated October 19 and 21, the board’s Chief Executive Officer, Tanvir Ahmad, urged the authorities to restore the utilities, saying they were needed to facilitate five daily prayers at the mosque.
According to the board, the mosque and its adjoining graveyard, spread across two bighas, were notified as waqf properties through a Delhi administration gazette notification issued on September 8, 1977.
“The mosque is under the direct management and control of the Delhi Waqf Board, with an imam appointed by the board conducting five daily prayers,” Ahmad said in his letter.
The board said the connections were disconnected during the removal of slum settlements in the area without prior notice or an apparent valid reason. It also cited records showing that the mosque had a lawful electricity connection since 1976.
The mosque is listed as a heritage property by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and is registered on the UMEED portal, the board said.
Imam Alleges Threat of Demolition
The board’s request comes after the mosque’s imam, Maulana MM Haroon Rahi, alleged that people identifying themselves as Land and Development Office (L&DO) officials visited the premises on October 17 and directed him to vacate within three days, warning that the structure would subsequently be removed.
Ahmad confirmed that no demolition order had been served on the mosque.
Rahi also alleged that people were being prevented from entering the area to offer prayers. Police personnel were deployed around the site following the demolition of nearby slum settlements.
Authorities Yet to Clarify Disconnection
The Waqf Board has asked the authorities to investigate the matter and restore the electricity and water supply as a priority.
However, sources in the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said the L&DO had not issued any notice to the mosque. The NDMC had not responded to queries regarding the disconnection of the utilities, according to media reports.
The land, measuring around 53.2 acres, belongs to the L&DO and has been handed over to the Central Public Works Department for maintenance and development.
In October 2025, occupants of the Bhai Ram Camp, Masjid Camp and DID Camp slum clusters in the Race Course Road area were issued notices directing them to vacate government land and relocate to a Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board colony in Savda Ghevra within 15 days.
The notices followed a joint survey conducted by the L&DO and the Delhi Development Authority in January 2024 to identify eligible residents for rehabilitation.
