Bulldozers target mosques, madrasas across BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow: The BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh has intensified its demolition campaign against Muslim religious and educational institutions, with mosques, madrasas and graveyards targeted in several districts of the state.
According to Kashmir Media Service, demolition drives were carried out in Ghaziabad, Varanasi and Baghpat, where bulldozers razed mosques, madrasas, graveyards and other structures associated with the Muslim community, sparking concern and criticism from local residents and rights activists.
The BJP authorities justified the actions by terming the structures “illegal constructions” and claimed that the demolitions were part of anti-encroachment and enforcement drives.
In Ghaziabad’s Dasna area, the administration, backed by heavy police deployment, demolished Madrasa Arabia Islam. The BJP government defended the action, claiming it was part of an anti-encroachment drive.
In Varanasi, authorities demolished the nearly 200-year-old Ajgaib Shaheed Mosque in the Rajghat area during a late-night operation. Officials linked the demolition to the redevelopment project of Kashi Model Railway Station.
Members of the Muslim community said the mosque and its adjoining graveyard were of immense historical and religious significance and had existed for nearly two centuries.
Meanwhile, in Bopura village of Baghpat district, a mosque and Madrasa Islamia Sabilul Falah were also razed as part of the ongoing demolition campaign.
The continued targeting of Muslim religious and educational institutions has intensified concerns among minority communities, with critics saying that the BJP government is pursuing discriminatory policies under the guise of anti-encroachment measures.
