Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya has demanded the removal of a mosque/structure near Mumbai airport’s Terminal 2 and sought an FIR against its trustees, citing an MMRDA letter stating that no permission was granted for the structure and directing airport operator MIAL to take action for its removal.

In a letter to Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL), the MMRDA said it had received a complaint about an existing structure/mosque near the VVIP arrival and taxi stand at T2. The authority said it had not granted permission for the structure and that there was no provision, reservation or designated site for a place of public worship in the notified area.

The MMRDA said MIAL, under the Operation, Management, Development Agreement (OMDA), was responsible for planning, development and maintenance of infrastructure and other facilities in the area. It directed MIAL to take action for removal of the structure in accordance with the prescribed procedure and submit compliance.

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Somaiya described the matter as a case of “Mumbai Airport land jihad” and alleged that the MMRDA had found the mosque illegal. He also urged MIAL and the MMRDA to register an FIR against the trustees.

The term “land jihad” has no recognised legal or official status in the government’s framework. The MMRDA letter itself refers only to the alleged unauthorised structure and the absence of permission.

Somaiya’s remarks come amid the VHP’s recent call to exclude Muslims from garba-dandiya events.

A senior BJP minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the state government had issued no directive targeting any community. “An illegal structure coming in the way of any ongoing project is always dealt with within the legal framework,” the minister said, adding that the concerned authorities would have to ascertain the facts.