Right-wing Hindu group, Parkota Sanrakshan Samiti, is spearheading a campaign against the structure, claiming ‘land jihad’
NEW DELHI — A 100-year-old Mazar (Muslim shrine) located on the campus of Maharani College in Rajasthan’s Jaipur city has become the centre of a growing religious and political controversy. Despite daily prayers being held at the site and descendants of the saints buried here presenting land documents dating back over a century, right-wing Hindu groups are demanding its demolition, claiming it to be an illegal structure.
The dispute is unfolding against a broader backdrop of religious tensions in several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states. In recent years, numerous mosques, madrasas, mazars, and other structures have been razed in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh under the pretext of encroachment or illegal construction.
Rajasthan, though previously governed by the Congress party, is now under BJP rule, and concerns are growing among minority communities that similar patterns are emerging here too.
Zeenat Khan and Nawab Khan, direct descendants of the saints buried at the mazar, approached Jaipur’s District Collector Dr Jitendra Kumar Soni earlier this week. Submitting a detailed memorandum, they claimed the site has been a place of pilgrimage and worship for generations.
“This shrine belongs to our ancestors and is over 100 years old. We come here regularly and also organise the annual Urs,” said Nawab Khan.
The family also submitted historical land records. According to them, the land on which Maharani College stands was partly taken from their family in the past. In exchange, authorities had promised alternative land near Gandhinagar railway station — a promise that was never fulfilled.
“We have provided all legal documents, including land records showing our family’s ownership prior to the construction of the college,” added Zeenat Khan.
Despite the evidence, the Parkota Sanrakshan Samiti — a right-wing Hindu group — has intensified demands for the demolition of the mazar, referring to it as an example of “land jihad”, a term controversially used by some groups to allege illegal religious land encroachments by Muslims.
Bharat Sharma, the committee’s president, made inflammatory remarks, accusing Muslims of gradually occupying land through religious expansion.
“This is not about faith. It’s about planned land jihad. We will not let Jaipur’s heritage be compromised,” said Sharma.
His statement has sparked outrage among Muslim groups and secular organisations who accuse such language of inciting communal hatred.
In response to the escalating tensions, Jaipur District Collector Dr Soni has taken note of the matter and ordered the formation of a six-member investigation committee.
“We are treating this matter with seriousness and sensitivity. The committee will examine land records, historical presence, and both sides’ claims,” said Dr Soni.
Until then, the administration has appealed for peace and urged all groups to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric.
This incident mirrors similar ones in BJP-ruled states where Muslim religious and educational institutions have faced government action. In Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath government has reportedly demolished over 500 madrasas, along with dozens of mosques and shrines.
In Uttarakhand, under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, over 450 mazars and more than 50 madrasas have been either demolished or sealed. Reports from Bahraich, Pilibhit, Maharajganj, and other districts show systematic action under the guise of anti-encroachment drives.
The impact on education has been significant. Thousands of children, mostly from marginalised Muslim communities, have been left without access to basic schooling.
Just weeks earlier, a 300-year-old mazar in Junagadh, Gujarat, was demolished by the Municipal Corporation despite the shrine’s managing trust submitting legal ownership documents and a court order in its favour.
In that case, the Gujarat High Court has now issued contempt notices to the Junagadh Municipal Commissioner and senior city planners for ignoring the legal stay on demolition.
“The rule of law must prevail, and administrative overreach cannot be allowed to bulldoze religious rights,” observed the high court during a preliminary hearing.
Local Muslim organisations in Rajasthan have appealed to the state government to ensure the rule of law and constitutional rights are upheld.
“The Jaipur case must not become another example of targeting minorities under political pressure,” said Maulana Abdul Rasheed of the All India Milli Council.
