CENTURY-OLD MOSQUE DEMOLITION SPARKS OUTRAGE IN INDIA

Wed 19 May 2021:

The administration in India’s Uttar Pradesh state has defied a state high court order and bulldozed a historic mosque.

This is one of the most inflammatory actions taken against a Muslim place of worship since demolition of the Babri Mosque by Hindu extremists in 1992.

The mosque, called Waqf Masjid Gareeb Nawaz Al Maroof Tehsil Wali, in the district of Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, had stood for six decades, since the time of the British rule, according to documents held by its committee.

In Barabanki UP A 100 years Old Gareeb Nawaz Masjid has been Demolished by SDM Order where Court Stay Order is till 31 May 2021

Why SDM Goes Against Court Order and Demolished Masjid?

In the Name Of Illegal Construction Masjid has been Demolished #RebuildGhareebNawazMasjid pic.twitter.com/mlMp6KnK4M

— faizan (@faizan0008) May 18, 2021

Police and security services moved into the area and cleared it of people on Monday, then brought in bulldozers and demolished the mosque buildings. Debris was then thrown into a river, according to images and local accounts. Security services have been deployed to prevent anyone coming within a mile of where the mosque stood.

The state government of Uttar Pradesh is controlled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), which also governs at the national level.

The chief minister is a hardline Hindu nationalist called Yogi Adityanath, who is known for his vitriol against Muslims. He has made speeches laced with Islamophobia, referred to Muslims as terrorists, and passed legislation openly discriminatory to Muslims.

Officials of the Sunni Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh state said on Tuesday that the mosque was registered with the board and that the action of the administration, ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was against court orders.

The scene after the demolition of the mosque. Photograph: Supplied

“I strongly condemn the patently illegal and high-handed action of tehsil and district administration. They have demolished a 100-year-old mosque in the name of encroachment clearance,” said a statement issued by board chairman Zufar Farooqui. “This act is against law, misuse of power and in utter violation of the clear orders dated 24.04.2021 passed by the Hon’ble High court.”

Farooqui was referring to a ruling last month by the Allahabad High Court that suspended the “eviction, dispossession or demolition” in the district until May 31 due to the pandemic.

The waqf chairman also said that the board would approach the high court for “restoration of the mosque, high-level action against the guilty officers and also a high-level judicial inquiry.”

Bas 2022 ka chunav set
Well done @myogiadityanath .
Yehi ummid thi mujhe https://t.co/qrWBUcBZOB

— Hamza Noman Masood Alig (@qazihamzamasood) May 18, 2021

Lawmaker Asaduddin Owaisi, who is also the head of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), said on Twitter: “This masjid demolition is not only violation of the constitution, but also a poor attempt to divert attention from his abject misrule.”

The secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board Zafaryab Jilani also said the action was “illegal” and “unconstitutional.”

Locals in the Barabanki district, where the mosque was situated, said the administration “forcibly” demolished it.

“I am 42 years old and would often offer Friday prayers at the mosque … all sections of society are condemning this act by the administration,” local resident Ashir Kadwayi told Anadolu Agency over the phone.

“This issue has been going on since March … and yesterday the mosque was martyred [demolished].”

Images of rubble taken in the aftermath of the destruction of the mosque in Ram Sanehi Ghat, Uttar Pradesh, India. Photograph: Supplied

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent