By Scroll Staff
The demolition of at least 14 mosques and dargahs in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh has sparked a political row, with Opposition leaders alleging that Muslim places of worship are being targeted.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi said on Sunday that he had been informed by his party’s Bikaner unit that four mosques in the district. Nine mosques and dargahs in Phalodi, Jaisalmer and Barmer had also been demolished, he added.
These are districts bordering Pakistan. The Hyderabad MP claimed that the demolitions were being “justified on national security grounds”.
“However, none of the people in these areas have ever been involved in any such activities,” he said. “Only Muslim places of worship are being targeted.”
In Uttar Pradesh, the authorities last week demolished a mosque in Moradabad, alleging that it had been built illegally on gram sabha land. Separately, a notice was pasted on the wall of the Ganj Shahida mosque in Varanasi on June 12, alleging that it had been illegally constructed on railway land. The notice asked the mosque committee to vacate the premises by June 20, warning that the structure would be demolished, Maktoob Media reported.
Opposition leaders, including Congress’ Ashok Gehlot and Owaisi, have alleged that the demolitions disproportionately target Muslim religious sites.
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