Relocating the mosque would facilitate planned airport redevelopment and improve runway operations. Reports claim that the structure’s location has long been considered an obstacle to expanding aviation infrastructure.
Updated: July 14, 2026, 7:05 AM IST
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West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari (PTI image)
New Delhi: On the suspension of entry passes for congregational prayers at a mosque inside Kolkata Airport, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said that national security remains the government’s top priority. Chief Minister Adhikari said gates of the vital installation that has critical geo-political importance cannot be kept open for outsiders.
Emerging from a BJP’s special organisational meeting at Tamluk in Purba Medinipur district on Sunday, Adhikari told reporters that national security and security of the Kolkata international airport took precedence over everything else.
“National security and security of the airport will gain priority over everything else. As a chief minister, I will not comment further. The location of the Kolkata international airport is critical since both China and Bangladesh are close by. It cannot keep its gates open for outsiders,” Adhikari said.
“We have not stopped anyone from practising their religion, unlike what they (the opposition) said about us. Bakrid (Eid al-Adha) was observed, adhering to animal slaughter laws, Muharram was observed without brandishing weapons, and there was no problem. Obey the law and act as good citizens. Observe your religions as a personal matter, without trying to influence others. Then everything will run smoothly,” he added.
The CM was responding to a question on the opposition to the temporary suspension of prayers at the mosque, which stands in close vicinity to the secondary runway on airport premises, by Siddiqullah Chowdhury, president of the mosque committee and a former minister in the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee cabinet.
Bankra Mosque:
The Bankra Mosque is a 136-year-old mosque located within the operational area of Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The mosque is also known as the Gouripur Jame Masjid. The mosque predates the airport itself, having been built in the late 19th century (around the 1890s), when the area was still a village.
The mosque has become the focus of a long-running debate because aviation authorities say its location poses security, safety, and operational challenges, while mosque representatives have maintained its historical and religious significance. Recent discussions have centered on relocating the mosque outside the airport premises to facilitate airport operations and expansion
Bankra Mosque Located:
The Bankra Mosque is located within the operational area of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (Kolkata Airport) in Dum Dum, North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal. The mosque stands just north of the airport’s secondary runway, approximately 165 metres from the runway, placing it inside a high-security operational zone of the airport.
Here are some of the key details:
- The mosque was built when the area was a village on the outskirts of Calcutta.
- The British established the Dum Dum aerodrome (the precursor to today’s airport) in 1924, decades after the mosque was constructed.
- It is a remnant of the original settlement.
- During airport expansion in the 1950s and 1960s, surrounding villages were relocated, but the mosque remained in place.
- As the airport expanded around it, the mosque eventually came to lie within the airport’s operational area.
- It has remained an active place of worship.
- Despite being inside a high-security airport zone, the mosque has continued to host prayers for local worshippers for decades under regulated access arrangements.
Why is the Suvendu government planning to remove the Bankra Mosque?
The reasons cited by the authorities include:
Security concerns: It is important to note that the mosque is located within the airport’s operational area and close to a secondary runway. Authorities say allowing worshippers to enter a high-security zone creates security challenges.
Runway and airport expansion: Relocating the mosque would facilitate planned airport redevelopment and improve runway operations. Reports claim that the structure’s location has long been considered an obstacle to expanding aviation infrastructure.
Operational efficiency: Airport officials have also cited flight operation constraints and emergency response considerations as reasons for shifting the mosque outside the airport premises. The government has said the plan is to relocate the mosque outside the airport boundary and construct a new mosque, rather than simply demolish it.
The Bankra Mosque, officially known as the Gouripur Jame Masjid, is widely reported to be about 136 years old. It dates back to the late 19th century (around the 1890s), making it significantly older than Kolkata’s airport itself.
