Residents, Waqf bodies, councillors, and families say Shariah forbids shifting graves and accuse BJP-led civic body of targeting Muslim burial sites
AHMEDABAD — A major row has broken out in the Gomtipur area of Gujarat’s Ahmedabad after the Municipal Corporation issued a notice seeking the removal of more than 300 graves from the historic Char Toda graveyard. The civic body says the move is part of a road widening plan under the Road Development Plan (RDP). Local Muslims say the action hurts their faith, ignores the law, and shows bias against Muslim burial places.
The notice, issued on December 25, asks for a 30.50-metre road to be widened near the graveyard. It also directs the removal of the graveyard’s boundary wall and hundreds of graves. Residents say the order has caused deep pain and fear among families whose relatives are buried there.
Char Toda graveyard is not an ordinary burial ground. It has existed for decades and holds deep value for Muslims in eastern Ahmedabad. Inside the graveyard stands Dadi Mai Ka Roza, a shrine believed to be over 600 years old. Locals say the place reflects the history of the area and the lives of generations of Muslim families.
Muslim residents say Islamic law does not allow graves to be shifted once a body is laid to rest. They say they are not against development, roads, or public works, but they cannot accept the removal of graves.
Gomtipur councillor Zulfiqar Khan Pathan has raised strong objections. “There is no provision in Islam that allows the shifting of graves. Development can take place, but it should not be done by hurting religious beliefs and disturbing the resting places of the dead,” he said.
Pathan also pointed out that the Gujarat High Court, in a judgment delivered in January 2025, stated that no demolition should take place within graveyard areas. “As per the high court order, nothing inside the graveyard should be touched,” he said. “This land also falls under the Waqf Act, which means it cannot be transferred or taken over.”
According to Pathan, the issue began last year when demolition work started in parts of Gomtipur under the RDP. “The work stopped at the boundary wall of the graveyard. A few days ago, a notice was suddenly sent to the Sunni Muslim Waqf Committee, asking for the removal of graves in the name of religious duty so that the road could be widened,” he said.
Pathan said he met the Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the East Zone after the notice was issued. “We told him clearly that Shariah does not permit shifting of graves. We said, ‘Develop the area as much as you want, but do not encroach on graveyard land,’” he said, adding that the officer assured action would follow the legal process.
Families with loved ones buried at Char Toda graveyard say the notice has reopened old wounds. Ayub Bhai, a local resident, said his father was buried there in 1997. “My uncle and other elders from my family are also buried here. Our entire family history lies in this graveyard,” he said. “We support development, but we want it without removing these graves.”
Another resident, Saleembhai Ghani, shared a similar pain. “My father’s grave has been here since 1996. Many members of our family are buried here,” he said. “We are being asked to remove the graves, but Shariah does not allow this. We want the graves to remain where they are.”
Opposition leaders have accused the civic body of crossing moral limits. Opposition Leader Shahzad Khan Pathan said, “On one side, the corporation demolishes people’s houses. The most shameful thing is that even after death, the corporation is not ready to leave a person’s grave in peace.”
He said notices have been issued to several graveyards under the RDP. “In this case, the corporation is demanding the removal of 283 graves, including a 600-year-old dargah. This shows no respect for Muslim sentiments or history,” he said.
Congress councillors and local residents have jointly submitted a proposal to the Municipal Commissioner, urging him to withdraw the notice. The proposal states clearly that Islamic law does not permit the shifting of graves and that any such action would hurt communal harmony.
According to the councillors, the Municipal Commissioner has assured them that a decision will be taken after careful thought. Still, fear remains among residents, as previous demolition drives in Muslim areas have left deep scars.
The Congress has also attacked the BJP and the civic body, accusing them of misleading people by raising religious issues. A Congress leader said, “Instead of focusing on basic facilities like water, drainage, and roads, the corporation keeps getting involved in matters linked to temples, mosques, graveyards, and cremation grounds.”
The party has demanded that the notice to shift graves be withdrawn at once. “Targeting Muslim burial sites in the name of development is wrong and unfair,” a Congress statement said.
Area councillor Iqbal Sheikh gave more background on the graveyard. He said Char Toda graveyard covers around 107,000 square metres and is managed by the Ahmedabad Sunni Muslim Waqf Committee. “This land was officially marked as a graveyard during British rule in 1944,” he said.
Sheikh also raised a key point. “The AMC has not allotted any land for graveyards so far. There is no graveyard owned by the corporation in the city,” he said. “Then why target an old and lawful Muslim graveyard?”
The Ahmedabad Sunni Muslim Waqf Committee has said it is making all efforts to protect the site. A committee member said representations have been made to the Gujarat Waqf Board and state officials. “We are using every legal path to save this graveyard,” he said.
Officials from the Waqf Board confirmed that the Deputy State Officer of the East Zone has been given full details of the matter. They said the land is protected under the Waqf Act and any move to disturb it would be challenged.
For many Muslims in Ahmedabad, the issue goes beyond a road project. They see it as another case where Muslim spaces are seen as easy targets. Residents say development should not mean disrespect to faith, history, and the dead.
As the deadline set by the corporation draws closer, families continue to visit the graveyard with heavy hearts. Standing near his father’s grave, Ayub Bhai said quietly, “We are alive today, tomorrow we will also be buried somewhere. If even graves are not safe, what security do common people have?”
The coming days will show whether the civic body listens to these voices or moves ahead with an action that many see as unjust and hurtful to Indian Muslims.
