‘After Babri Mosque Ajmer Sharif becomes target of BJP’s Hindutva spree’
Islamabad: After Babri Mosque in India, Ajmer Sharif has become target of the Hindutva spree of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to establish temples on Muslim sacred lands.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a court in Ajmer issued notices to the Archaeological Survey of India and the Modi government following a petition claiming a Shiva temple exists within the Dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti.
Later, the Indian Supreme Court stopped such activities till further orders. Since Narendra Modi’s rise to power in 2014, Hindutva ideology has gained significant ground, deepening religious divides in India
The BJP, aligned with the RSS, has systematically marginalized Muslims, portraying them as outsiders. Muslim owned properties and religious sites, on the pretext of anti-encroachment drives, all over India are being bulldozed and demolished and the Waqf Amendment bill is also an effort in this direction.
The petition in Ajmer, claiming Shiva temple exists within the Dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, is part of a larger push to reclaim Muslim heritage sites.
Consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya was the very first attempt at encroaching Muslim mosque’s land and trend continued under the Modi regime with increased efforts by Hindutva groups to demolish Ajmer Sharif. These actions reflect a broader effort to re-write India’s history, with Hindutva proponents framing the country’s Muslim rulers as oppressors.
Muslim heritage sites, like those in Ajmer and Sambhal, are under constant threat. The Modi government has shown tacit support for these actions, with little condemnation from the ruling party against such demolition across the country.
As a broader agenda to marginalize Muslims, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) are designed to exclude Muslims, especially in Assam, where hundreds of thousands face the threat of statelessness.
The demolition of Muslim heritage sites is not just physical destruction but an effort to erase Muslim identity. Hindu extremists continue to target mosques, madrassas and dargahs like the recent destruction of a 1,200-year-old mosque in Gujarat.
The growing influence of Hindutva ideologies is undermining India’s secular identity and with the rise of extremist slogans, violence against Muslims has increased.
Pro-BJP media outlets amplify hate speech, frame Muslims as a threat to unity and present inflammatory narratives that normalize violence and discrimination.
The manipulation of judicial outcomes, such as the Babri Masjid and Gyanvapi cases, reflect a growing trend where the judiciary aligns with religious nationalism.
International bodies, such as the UNHRC, have called out India’s deteriorating human rights situation.
The continued persecution of Muslims and other minorities demands global attention to prevent India from descending into religious dictatorship.
