LUCKNOW — Muslim religious places inside the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) campus in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow have come under political focus after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader sought their removal, calling them illegal and linking them to serious allegations. The move has triggered concern among Muslim patients, students and staff, who say the claims stigmatise an entire community without evidence.
Abhijaat Mishra, a state minister and BJP leader, wrote to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeking action against Mosques and Mazars located within the KGMU campus. In the letter, he alleged that these structures were built “illegally” on government land and were obstructing the expansion of health services. He also linked them to issues of security, religious conversion and “love jihad”.
“KGMU is a major government medical institution. Any unauthorised religious structure affects its secular nature and future growth,” Mishra wrote, according to sources familiar with the letter.
The letter lists several Mazars across the campus, including near the administrative block, the dentistry faculty, the obstetrics and gynaecology gate, behind the eye department, close to trauma centre gate number two, near the respiratory medicine OPD, and between the RLC and orthopaedics buildings. Mishra claimed that more such sites exist within the campus.
He also referred to an anti-encroachment drive carried out in April 2025, during which around 25,000 square feet of land was cleared. Despite this, he claimed, a mosque and several mazars remain. He urged the Chief Minister to order their immediate removal and to institute a high-level inquiry into alleged land grabbing and extremist activity.
Muslim staff and students at KGMU strongly rejected the allegations. A senior Muslim doctor, who requested anonymity fearing reprisals, said the places had existed for decades and were visited quietly by patients from different communities. “Labeling these prayer spots as centres of crime or conversion is unfair and deeply hurtful to Muslim doctors and students working here,” the doctor said.
A Muslim nursing student said the issue was being exaggerated. “People come to KGMU for treatment, not politics. When someone is sick, they pray in their own way. Turning prayer into a crime creates fear,” she said.
Local Islamic scholars also dismissed the claims. “There is no madrasa, preaching or organised religious activity inside KGMU. These are simple prayer spots. Linking them to extremist groups or criminal networks without evidence is dangerous,” said Maulana Khalid Rashid, a Lucknow-based cleric.
Rights activists warned that the language used in the letter could deepen mistrust in an institution meant to serve the public. “If there is a land issue, it should be addressed strictly through law and official records. Singling out Muslim religious symbols and attaching sweeping allegations undermines constitutional values,” said social activist Shahana Fatima.
The KGMU administration has not issued a detailed public response so far. A senior official said any decision would be taken only after examining legal documents and official records. “We will act strictly in accordance with rules and due process,” the official said.
The matter is now before the Chief Minister’s office. For many Muslims associated with KGMU, the concern goes beyond the fate of religious structures and centres on dignity, equal treatment and the preservation of harmony within a public medical institution meant to serve people of all faiths.
