Imam Noorur Barkati

The Imam Barkati saga took an ugly turn today when he tried to lead Friday namaz at 1 pm at the Tipu Sultan Masjid in Kolkata but was heckled and pushed out by angry people who said there will be no politics in the masjid, only prayers. The deputy imam, Hafez Harun Rashim, finally led the prayers.

Kolkata's Imam Noorur Barkati -- known for his controversial fatwas or religious decrees and closeness to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee -- was sacked from his post at the Tipu Sultan Mosque today.

A gang of around 20 men -- allegedly led by the son of a controversial Kolkata Imam who was recently in the eye of a storm over his use of a red beacon -- tried to storm the office of an Urdu newspaper yesterday to protest against its editorials and articles critical of the cleric.

The Imam Barkati saga took an ugly turn today when he tried to lead Friday namaz at 1 pm at the Tipu Sultan Masjid in Kolkata but was heckled and pushed out by angry people who said there will be no politics in the masjid, only prayers. The deputy imam, Hafez Harun Rashim, finally led the prayers.

Kolkata's Imam Noorur Barkati -- known for his controversial fatwas or religious decrees and closeness to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee -- was sacked from his post at the Tipu Sultan Mosque today.

A gang of around 20 men -- allegedly led by the son of a controversial Kolkata Imam who was recently in the eye of a storm over his use of a red beacon -- tried to storm the office of an Urdu newspaper yesterday to protest against its editorials and articles critical of the cleric.