By Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — A series of demolitions of mosques, shrines, and Eidgahs in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the past two days has caused anger among Indian Muslims, with residents raising serious concerns about fairness, timing, and due process.
In Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, the administration carried out a major demolition drive early Saturday morning. According to local accounts, the operation commenced around 4 am, when police and officials entered the area with heavy machinery. Residents say the entire Muslim neighbourhood was effectively confined to their homes during the operation.
A mosque and two shrines in the Gularbhoj area were demolished using bulldozers. Officials from the Irrigation Department, along with district authorities and a large police force, were present. Police sealed off the area, and residents were not allowed to step outside their homes during the operation.
One resident said, “We were not even allowed to come out of our homes. We just watched from inside as our place of worship was demolished. This is not justice.”
Another resident added, “If something is illegal, there is a law to deal with it. Why were we treated like this? Why were we locked inside?”
Officials, however, defended the action. A senior officer said, “The entire settlement stands on Irrigation Department land. Notices were issued earlier. The structures demolished did not have legal protection from the court.”
Residents, on the other hand, pointed out that they had approached the Supreme Court, which had granted a stay on demolishing the settlement. They claim that despite this, religious structures were singled out and removed.
A community member said, “We went to the court and got relief. Still, only our mosque and shrines were demolished. This has hurt us deeply.”
In the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, another incident has added to the tension. A shrine located in the Fisher Forest area was demolished on Saturday morning at the direction of the Forest Department.
This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.
