The mighty Brahmaputra River has claimed a piece of history in Dhubri district, as the centuries-old Jame Masjid in Wahab Bazar, under the Fakirganj area, has been completely swallowed by its relentless erosion, leaving no vestige of its former grandeur.
For weeks, a pall of despair hung over the locals as they helplessly witnessed the shifting riverbanks gnawing away at the mosque’s foundation, inch by agonizing inch. Visuals captured on camera painfully illustrate the structure’s final moments, as it succumbed to the turbulent river waters – a stark and poignant testament to nature’s indomitable power and the region’s inherent susceptibility to environmental shifts.
Eyewitnesses, their voices choked with grief, recounted the devastating scene. “We clung to the hope that some part of it would remain. It wasn’t just a place of worship; it was an integral part of our heritage,” shared a local resident, his emotions palpable.
More than just a sacred space, the mosque had for generations served as a cultural and historical beacon in Wahab Bazar, a pillar of faith and identity. Despite numerous appeals and desperate attempts to mitigate the erosion, all efforts to safeguard the structure proved futile, overwhelmed by the river’s fierce, unyielding advance.
Atikur Rahman, a prominent local figure, has urgently appealed to Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and Water Resources Minister Pijush Hazarika for immediate intervention. He stressed that the erosion has reached critical levels, now directly threatening the Wahab Bazar market area itself. “Unless decisive action is taken without delay, the entire locality faces the risk of being obliterated,” he warned with grave concern.
This tragic loss has intensified calls for urgent and comprehensive riverbank protection and erosion control measures across Assam’s vulnerable zones, particularly along the perennially threatened stretches of the Brahmaputra. Residents are desperately pleading for a holistic intervention plan, citing the incessant loss of homes, fertile farmlands, and vital public infrastructure to the river’s unforgiving fury.