Islamabad
A local administration in the BJP ruled India’s Uttar Pradesh state has defied a high court order and bulldozed a mosque, in one of the most inflammatory actions taken against a Muslim place of worship since the demolition of the Babri Mosque by a mob of Hindu fanatics in 1992, British newspaper The Guardian reported.
The mosque, in the city of Ram Sanehi Ghat in Uttar Pradesh, had stood for at least six decades, since the time of British rule, according to documents held by its committee, the newspaper said.
The UP chief minister is a hardcore Hindu 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.
The Guardian said that on Monday, police and security services moved into the area and cleared it of people, then brought in bulldozers and demolished the mosque. Debris was then thrown into a river.
Security services have been deployed to prevent anyone coming within a mile of where the mosque stood.
A local imam, Maulana Abdul Mustafa, who is on the mosque committee, said the mosque was hundreds of years old and that thousands of people have been coming here five times a day to offer prayer.
He added, “All Muslims were scared, so no one went near the mosque or dared to protest when the mosque was being demolished.
Even today, several dozen people are leaving their homes and hiding in other areas out of the fear of the police.”
The demolition was in violation of a high court order issued on 24 April, which stated that the mosque should be protected from any eviction or demolition until 31.—Reuters
