The auction of annual contracts for the famous Jeth Mela, held at the shrine of Syed Salar Masud Ghazi in every year, has been postponed by the Waqf Dargah Sharif management, citing "unavoidable reasons".
The notice, signed by Aleemul Haq, the in-charge manager of the Dargah Sharif, was posted outside the shrine's Golghar office on Sunday, 23 March. It stated that the auction for the annual contract for Yajdamahi Tehbazari, along with the contracts for shireeni, , flowers, applications, kaudi and mundan for 2025-26, was scheduled to take place under the aegis of the Darga Sharif management committee, but has been postponed until further orders due to "unavoidable reasons".
Management committee president Bakaullah told PTI on Monday that the auction has been delayed over incomplete documentation required for organising the fair, and added that it has been postponed for a few days.
The decision has drawn attention, especially in the wake of the recent developments in , where the district administration has denied permission for the annual Neja Mela held in the name of Syed Salar Masud Ghazi.
Syed Salar Masud Ghazi, believed to be the nephew of Mahmud Ghaznavi and known for his military prowess, is a semi-legendary figure for Muslims.
Following the Sambhal administration's decision, some Hindu groups in Bahraich submitted a memorandum to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and governor Anandiben Patel through the district administration, demanding a ban on the upcoming Jeth Mela.
The Hindu groups have long regarded Maharaja Suheldev as a historical icon, while labelling Syed Salar Masud as an invader. They also claim the venue of the fair is actually 'Surya Kund'.
Meanwhile, city magistrate and the fair in-charge Shalini Prabhakar said that there has never been a tradition of seeking administrative permission for auctioning shops at Jeth Mela. She also confirmed that the administration has not been informed about the auction or its postponement this year.
Chief minister Adityanath, in a recent speech at an event in Bahraich on 20 March, praised Maharaja Suheldev and said "glorifying an invader means strengthening the foundation of treason, and independent India cannot accept any traitor".
