Spanish Mosque gets cracks after rock blasts

The minarets and arches of a historic 104-year-old Spanish Mosque suffered damage from a blast conducted at a nearby construction site in blatant violation of rules.

Begumpet police arrested three persons for using banned gelatine sticks and also for carrying out blasts without permission.

The Spanish mosque, also known as also known as Jama Masjid Aiwan E Begumpet and run by the Paigah family, is a listed heritage structure of HMDA. It won the heritage structure award and is recognised by Unesco and Spain as a replica of Moorish architecture,

The mosque was constructed by Sir Vikhar-ul-Umra Iqbal Ud Dowla, a Paigah Nawab, in 1906. He also built the Falaknuma palace.

“The workers were digging a cellar nearby and at around 4.30 pm on August 14, when we were praying, we heard huge sound and the entire mosque shook,” said Mr Faiz Khan, the treasurer of the Spanish Mosque Muthawali Com-mittee. People then ran out of the mosque in panic. “We saw three people using gelatin sticks for blasting a rock to build a tunnel,” said. “Then we saw that the blast also caused cracks in the minarets and arches.”

The Begumpet inspector, Mr A. Yadagiri, said that an FIR had been registered and three persons had been arrested on the same day.

The arrested were identified as the contractor, Mr Srinivas, Mr Dasaradh and Mr Narasimha, who set off the blast.