Sacked Barkati refuses to step down from Imam's post

After being axed from Tipu Sultan Masjid, Noor-ur Rahman Barkati on Wednesday castigated the trustees of the mosque and warned of serious consequences if the order is not revoked.

"Terminated, axed, these words don't apply to Imam. Imam is a community head. . .I get a lot of notices every day. Who are they to terminate me? They need to apologise before the media otherwise they will face serious consequences," Barkati told ANI.

Barkati also alleged that the trustees were acting on the behest of Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and blamed them of siphoning the mosque's property.

"This mosque doesn't belong to Arif (trustee) nor Anwar. These people are illegally selling the property belonging to Masjid. These three are sympathisers of the RSS," he said.

Barkati, infamous for issuing fatwa against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defying Centre' order on the use of red beacon, was sacked for making "objectionable and inflammatory remarks against the country".

He also claimed that he would not remove the red beacon "even if Prime Minister Modi asked him to".

A number of police complaints were also lodged against the Imam in different police stations of Bengal.

Later, the Kolkata Police officers visited Barkati and the red beacon was removed from his car.