Hazrat Maulana Syed Abdullah Bukhari passes away

Hazrat Maulana Syed Abdullah Bukhari had become the XIIth Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid in the capital. On Wednesday, 36 years later on the same date, he passed away after a prolonged illness at AIIMS. He was 87.

Born in Sambhar district of Rajasthan and educated in Delhi, Syed Abdullah Bukhari became the Naib Shahi Imam in 1946, a year before India became independent. He came into prominence in 1975, two years after being appointed Shahi Imam of the famous mosque. This was the year Emergency was declared and he opposed the then Congress government, particularly the sterilisation drive in parts of Old Delhi.

Politicians used to approach him regularly to seek his support in every election, giving him a clout which some felt he didn't command. A controversial figure, he later made up with the Congress.

Political observers recollect that he used to be in full flow during any election. He would make catchy statements, hold press conferences and even issue fatwas to make it to the headlines and prove his hold over the community. He played an active role in the Babri Masjid stir but later his appeal started to wane.

On Wednesday, several prominent personalities, including Farooq Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Subodh Kant Sahay, cricketer-turned-MP Azharuddin and Sheila Dikshit paid tributes to him.

Sources: timesofindia.indiatimes.com