Hyderabad: The 300-year-old Jama Masjid Hussaini in Balapur has become the center of a major dispute between legal heir Syed Saber Hussaini and madarsa operator Akbar Khan. While Saber claims ancestral ownership, Khan insists he leased the premises to run Madarsa Darul Uloom Noomaniya, where 75 students study.

BJP workers recently staged protests demanding the madarsa’s closure, alleging illegal activities, sparking communal tensions in the area. Meanwhile, both sides have filed complaints accusing each other of violations and encroachments. Out of the original 8 acres and 18 guntas of mosque land, only 1,000 sq. yards remain, with most already sold.

Activists demand clarity from the Telangana Waqf Board, which so far has remained silent on whether the land belongs to it.