A local Muslim says that the authorities were reluctant to listen to them or look at the documents they were producing
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Acting on a complaint from right-wing group Hindu Jagran Manch, authorities in the Laksar town of Uttarakhand on Thursday demolished a portion of the mosque with the Tehsildar claiming that it was illegally constructed.
The demolition, carried out by the Tehsildar’s office, Nagar Palika, and police, faced opposition from the mosque’s builders, who strongly protested the action.
Laksar Tehsildar Pratap Singh Chauhan said that illegal construction was being carried out adjacent to the mosque built in the locality, which has now been removed, reports reaching here said.
Chauhan stated that the administration instructed the builders to stop the illegal construction at the mosque, but they persisted, a Press Trust of India (PTI) report said on Friday.
He mentioned that the builder claimed to have the necessary permissions but was unable to provide any documents.
Hindu Jagran Manch had staged a protest against the construction work going on in the mosque and filed a complaint with the sub-district magistrate of Laksar.
In a video posted by news agency IANS, a local Muslim lamented that the authorities were reluctant to listen to them or look at the documents they were producing.
Hindutva groups have launched a fresh campaign against mosques in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh this month, triggering large protests and an ultimatum to demolish several mosques. An administrative error in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, triggered protests by Hindu groups demanding the demolition of a mosque they claim is illegally built.
An initial Right to Information (RTI) response indicated that there were no records of the mosque’s land, which heightened tensions. However, further investigation has confirmed that the land is legally registered, and the mosque is listed under the Sunni Waqf. Local authorities are working to resolve the situation, and the Muslim community has requested action against those spreading unrest.
