Indian cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan irked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after he posted photos of himself standing in front of Adina Mosque in Malda, West Bengal, on Friday.
In a post on X, Pathan — who is part of the Trinamool Congress — wrote that the mosque was built in the 14th century by Sultan Sikandar Shah, the second ruler of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty.
Cherishing its historical significance, the former Indian cricketer said that the mosque showcased the “region’s architectural grandeur”.
However, BJP West Bengal turned a simple photo into a controversy by claiming — without concrete evidence — that the mosque was built on the ruins of a temple.
The BJP leaders have, for years, asserted that the historical mosque was actually built after the demolition of the Adinath Temple.
In 2022, a BJP leader claimed that the temple was buried beneath the mosque’s structure.
Two years later, a Hindu worshipper went as far as offering religious rituals inside the mosque; however, he was barred from doing so and had a case registered against him.
A lawyer has also written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Interior Minister Amit Shah to allow Hindu worshippers to offer their rituals inside the mosque.
The response to Pathan’s social media post has renewed the ongoing debate surrounding the BJP’s assertions that multiple mosques stand on sites of former Hindu temples.
Pathan is a member of the Lok Sabha from West Bengal, representing the Trinamool Congress.
Before his career in politics, he was part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ODI World Cup in 2011.
His younger brother, Irfan Pathan, is also among the renowned Indian cricketers.