Controversial Islamic cleric Syed Noor ur Rahman Barkati was on Wednesday sacked as the head of Kolkata’s Tipu Sultan mosque, officials said.
“The Shahi Imam has been removed by the trustee board,” Arif Ahmed, a trustee said.
Last week, the head of the Trustee Board, Shahezada Anwar Ali Shah had called Barkati "a blot" on the Muslim community.
Elected in 1989, Barkati headed the mosque for 28 years was mired in many controversies due to his comments regarding waging a ‘jihad’ if India was declared a Hindu state or refusal to remove the red beacon from his car.
Recently, it was reported that he fell out of favour with Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was once one of his strongest supporters.
Barkati also grabbed headlines in January when he issued a fatwa against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the November decision to ban high-value currency notes.
(With inputs from agencies)