The dispute over the Bankra mosque inside Kolkata airport resurfaced after BJP leaders highlighted an official response from the Ministry of Civil Aviation acknowledging that the century-old structure sits just a few hundred metres from the secondary runway and restricts its full use during emergencies. They argued that passenger safety and secure aircraft operations are being compromised, and accused the West Bengal government of allowing the situation to continue for political reasons. The controversy has flared up repeatedly over the years because the mosque stands within a high-security aviation zone, where large numbers of worshippers regularly enter for prayers.
The mosque, however, predates the airport by several decades. It was built in the 1890s as part of a village that occupied the area long before the British constructed the original Dum Dum aerodrome in 1924. When the airport expanded in the 1950s and 1960s and a new runway was added, most settlements north and west of the airfield were cleared, but the mosque remained. According to reports, historic and administrative documents suggest an understanding was reached at the time of land acquisition to preserve the place of worship even as the airport grew around it. Over time, as air traffic increased and safety norms tightened, its location became a significant obstacle.
Successive governments and the Airports Authority of India have tried multiple times to relocate the mosque to a nearby plot rather than demolish it, but every proposal has faced resistance from the mosque committee and the local community. AAI has been forced to redesign infrastructure to work around the structure, including modifying runway alignment and later arranging special access routes and a bus service to transport worshippers because the approach partially overlaps with an aircraft taxiway. The site continues to be used daily, and footfall increases sharply on Fridays and during Ramzan.
The stalemate persists because shifting the mosque requires coordinated approval from the Centre, the state government and community stakeholders, none of whom have been able to arrive at a consensus. Meanwhile, aviation expansion plans, runway optimisation and security planning remain constrained by the mosque’s position. The current debate reflects long-standing operational concerns rather than a recent construction, rooted in a decision made six decades ago when the airport expanded around a pre-existing religious structure rather than removing or relocating it.
