Hindutva groups stoke fresh tension over mosque well in UP
New Delhi: A deliberate attempt to stoke communal tension has emerged in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur where Hindutva groups are trying to take control of a well located inside a decades-old mosque.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the old mosque near the Town Hall in Sadar Bazaar has long been a symbol of the region’s Ganga-Jamuni culture. However, members of the Hindu Yuva Sangthan submitted a memorandum to the district administration, demanding that the mosque “release” the well, claiming it was historically linked to a Hindu wedding ritual called Kuen Vare.
An activist of the group, Rajesh Awasthi, accused the mosque of “illegally occupying” the well and threatened large protests if the so-called encroachment was not removed. He even demanded the removal of the mosque’s loudspeaker—an action Muslim residents say clearly exposes the intent to create friction rather than resolve any genuine dispute.
Local Muslims categorically rejected the claim, calling it a fabricated narrative designed to harass the community. A member of the mosque committee said the mosque and its well have existed for decades without dispute, adding that “such sudden claims are being raised in many towns, as if part of an organised campaign to trouble Muslims.”
Hindu groups continue to cite a contested 2013 court order which locals and officials say was never acted upon due to contradictory claims. Residents believe the repeated reference to the old order is a tactic to pressurise authorities and manufacture legitimacy for the takeover attempt.
A resident of Sadar Bazaar, Abdul Rahman, said these groups routinely revive old matters to portray Muslims as “encroachers” and to justify targeting their religious spaces. He said the people of Shahjahanpur have lived in harmony for years, but “these groups want to disturb that peace.”
Community elders have urged the administration to protect communal harmony and prevent baseless provocations. “We only want peace,” a retired teacher said. “If facts are checked, the matter ends instantly. But if the authorities stay silent, troublemakers will continue manufacturing disputes. We request that truth and justice prevail.”
