By S.M.A.Kazmi

DEHRADUN: With assembly elections fast approaching in Uttarakhand, the minority Muslim community which has been at the receiving end of wrath of the ruling BJP/RSS dispensation for the past nearly nine years, are being cornered and targeted in every possible way by the Hindutva brigade having the patronage of state administrative machinery and police.

 An old mosque at Thano village area of Dehradun which has been existence since 1978 was sealed by the authorities of Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) for being ‘illegal’ on the persistent demand of the Hindutva groups owing allegiance to the ruling party. This was the fifth mosque in and around Dehradun which has been shut down by the administration of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is the rising young star of Hindutva forces in the country who is leaving on stone unturned in emulating his counterpart neighbour Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in anti-Muslim rhetoric.

The mosque was sealed by authorities on June 2 on the ground that the map for the construction of the said mosque was not sanctioned. The members of the Bajrang Dal were agitating for the past sometimes against the mosque claiming that how a mosque can come up in a rural area. The local Muslims claim that the mosque has been functioning since 1978 and even a room was of the mosque was constructed by the minorities welfare department of the state government. Regarding the issue of sanctioning of map, they claim that none of the building in the village has got maps sanctioned by MDDA which itself came into being in the eighties. However, acting under pressure from Hindutva groups, the mosque was sealed.

 Meanwhile, the members of Kali sena led by it’s leader Bhupesh joshi who is in the forefront of anti-Muslim campaign in and around Dehradun held a ‘Swaha Havan’ outside the sealed mosque on June 3 and congratulated the majority community on success of the mission to close down the mosque

Nayeem Quraishy, President of Muslim Sewa Sangathan who along with other members staged a dharna in front of the MDDA office charged the authorities of bias against the Muslim. “ It is blatant use of arbitrary powers to seal the mosque and clear infringment of Article 25 of the Constitution. Has anyone asked for the maps and documents of Hindu religious places which are coming up at public and forest land? But Muslims are targeted,” he lamented. Muslim Sewa Sangathan plans to knock the doors of high court to seek justice. Hafiz Shah Nazar, a spokesperson of Jamait-E-Ulema-Hind, a body of clerics said that they would also be taking up the issue with appropriate authorities. They propose to approach National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Minsorities Commission both at the national and state level on the issue.

Earlier, the functioning mosques at MDDA colony, opposite Raipur police station, Asharodi and Dakrani were sealed for alleged failure to get official permission. On the other hand, it is near impossible to get sanction for a new mosque from the administration and even more difficult to get an old mosque repair due to objections from Hindutva groups.  

This story was originally published in indiatomorrow.net. Read the full story here.