A mosque in Laksar, Uttarakhand, was demolished by local authorities following a complaint from the right-wing group Hindu Jagran Manch. The demolition, carried out on Thursday by officials from the Tehsildar’s office, Nagar Palika, and police, faced opposition from the mosque’s builders, who protested the action.
Laksar Tehsildar Pratap Singh Chauhan said that illegal construction was being carried out on vacant public land in the mosque built in the locality, which has now been removed.
Hindu Jagran Manch had staged a protest against the construction work going on in the mosque. They had filed a complaint with the sub-district magistrate of Laksar.
Chauhan said that the administration asked the builders to stop the illegal construction in the mosque, but they continued, PTI reported.
In a video posted by news agency IANS, a Muslim man lamented that the authorities were reluctant to listen to them or look at the documents they were producing.
Hindutva groups have launched a fresh campaign against mosques in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh this month, triggering large protests and an ultimatum to demolish several mosques. An administrative error in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, triggered protests by Hindu groups demanding the demolition of a mosque they claim is illegally built.
An initial Right to Information (RTI) response indicated that there were no records of the mosque’s land, which heightened tensions. However, further investigation has confirmed that the land is legally registered, and the mosque is listed under the Sunni Waqf. Local authorities are working to resolve the situation, and the Muslim community has requested action against those spreading unrest.
