Fresh mosque demolitions in BJP-ruled Rajasthan raise concerns over selective action
Jaipur: Days after a four-storey mosque was demolished in Jaipur, authorities have razed four more mosques following the issuance of notices to 17 mosques and madrasas in BJP-ruled Rajasthan state’s Barmer district.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the demolitions come in the wake of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Bikaner, where he held a meeting with collectors and police officers and issued directives to remove alleged encroachments. However, activists and community representatives have said that the drive is being selectively used against Muslim religious places.
Syed Saadat Ali, state president of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), strongly condemned the action, terming the demolitions “complete hooliganism.” He pointed out discrepancies in the process, stating that notices dated June 11 were served only on June 17, while some mosques were demolished on June 18.
“Authorities are acting arbitrarily. If the state adopts the ways of hooliganism, how can justice be ensured?” he said, adding that legal procedures were being ignored and Supreme Court guidelines were being violated.
Ali further said that only mosques and madrasas were being targeted while temples were left untouched. “There is a village where 100 percent of the population is Muslim, and even there structures were demolished,” he said, questioning the fairness and intent behind the drive.
Local political leaders, including MLA Harish Chaudhary and Barmer MP Umedaram Beniwal of the Congress party, also criticised the demolitions, describing them as an attempt to disturb communal harmony. They added that the actions were politically motivated and warned that such measures could further deepen tensions in the region.
