'Saudi-returned Muslims of the new generation do not want to live in harmony with Hindus': Ground Report from Nepal

Several recent reports indicate that the demographics along the Nepal-India border are quickly changing. The number of mosques and madrasas is steadily growing. The OpIndia team toured the border areas from August 20 to August 27, 2022, to assess the ground reality of the demographic change in the area. We have been reporting what we have witnessed in chronological order. This is the fourteenth report in the series.

In the last report, we highlighted the Mazars, mosques, and madrasas erected along the route leading from Balrampur district headquarters to the Nepal-Badhni border. In this report, we interviewed local people and elected authorities. They all agreed that, in addition to the Islamic places of worship in Nepal’s border areas, the population of the Muslim community has grown dramatically in recent years.

‘Anyone who denies any aspect of Islam is a Kafir’

We came across two madrassa students while we were having our vehicles fueled on a petrol pump near Gainsdi. They were each about ten years old. They both stated to be natives of Bankatwa village. They both stated that they are studying the Quran. When we asked them what a Kafir is, they answered that anyone who denies any aspect of Islam (Deen) is a ‘Kafir.’

No Hindu head in Ranwari village since independence

We halted for a bit at the village of Ranwari on the Balrampur-Tulsipur road. We met Anoop Pandey, the husband of Gram Pradhan of Bhagwanpur village, who had arrived there for some business. Anoop’s wife is the Pradhan of Bhagwanpur, a village adjacent to Ranwari. Anup Pandey stated that 80% of the people in his adjacent village Ranwari are Muslims.

With this, he stated that, even after independence, Ranwari has never been able to elect a Hindu head of the village. According to Anoop, the village of Ranwari is dominated by Muslims, and Hindus live in terror. He stated that the village has a population of 2645 individuals, with around 600 Hindus, out of which most people are from backward castes.

Saudi return Muslims create a fuss

According to Anoop Pandey, while the Hindus and Muslims of the village have lived in harmony in the past, in recent years, the new generation of Muslims, especially the ones who return from Saudi Arabia, have been inclined towards radicalisation and Islamism, creating rifts with the local Hindus.

According to Anoop, Ranwari village has three mosques and three madrasas. He went on to say that there is a huge difference between the previous Samajwadi Party government and the current Yogi government. He stated that Hindus feel protected under this regime.

Attempts to construct Islamic places of worship in a village with no Muslims

Anoop Pandey stated that there are no Muslims in his village of Bhagwanpur, but an attempt was previously made to construct a mosque there. He also stated that the mosque could not be erected owing to residents’ resistance. Anoop, on the other hand, stated that Karbala was already constructed in his village, where an attempt was made to erect a Mazar.

We are safe under the present government in the state

Mangal, a Dalit resident of Ranwari village, spoke with OpIndia. He told us that he is safe since Yogi Ji is in the state. He also emphasized the existence of other Hindu-majority villages nearby as factors for his safety. Mangal said that under the previous government, their lives were all at risk.

Increase in the Muslim population and mushrooming of Islamic places of worship

In Tulsipur, we met CP Mishra, a journalist from the Balrampur district. During our conversation, he said unequivocally that the Muslim population in Balrampur district had grown faster than the Hindu population. Along with this, CP Mishra informed us that while Islamic religious places were hardly visible in the district throughout his childhood, they are now visible everywhere.

Loudspeakers still intact in mosques

Saroj Kumar Mishra, the brother of the village head of Ganeshpur Dhawai, which borders the Pachpedwa police station area of Balrampur, spoke with us. He admitted that the Muslim population and places of worship in Nepal’s border areas had grown substantially in recent years. He stated that while the law and order situation has definitely improved under Yogi government, there are still issues. He added that despite government action, local mosques still use loudspeakers for azan.

The Muslim population increased from 30% to 50% in the village

Saroj Mishra, approximately 40 years old, informed us that in his childhood in his village Ganeshpur Dhawai, Hindus were around 70% and Muslims were around 30%, but currently the ratio is 50-50. Mishra informed us that under previous regimes, even Durga Puja music was halted at the time of Azan. He said that at that point, the generator had to be turned off and the battery tweezers had to be removed.

Saroj Mishra informed us that Muslims in his region get funds from cities such as Hyderabad in order to carry out Islamic religious activities. According to him, this contribution is only made to a few people. Saroj further stated that Azaan’s voice may still be heard via loudspeakers. According to Mishra, it sometimes appears that we are in Pakistan and not in India.

Saroj told us that when they celebrated Durga Puja for the first time in 2009, there was a dispute. According to Mishra, the Bahujan Samaj Party was in power at the time, and the MLA for his constituency was Alauddin. Saroj stated that at the moment, an announcement was made from the mosque in front of the police to grab weapons and not allow the idol to be installed. Mishra stated that the goddess was placed in the village despite widespread opposition from Muslims.

Saroj Mishra, recalling the 2009 event, stated that then-BSP MLA Alauddin was backing the opponents behind this conspiracy. He stated that at the time, the police seized the idol of Maa Durga which they got released after an order from the High Court.

According to Saroj Mishra, the placement of the Durga idol for puja was a source of contention in the village for approximately 5 years before it became normal. He stated that he is still unable to roam with the idol in their own village due to the existence of a mosque. Saroj stated that there is roughly 40% Hindu population that lives beyond the mosque, yet the police still do not allow the idol to be passed around the mosque.

After speaking with Saroj Mishra, we travelled a little farther towards Gainsari, only to see a procession of idol immersion at a site called Rajderwa. There were slogans of Jai Shri Ram in the procession, in which women and children also participated. We were told that they are going to immerse the idol of Lord Krishna after Janmashtami. Police were also seen escorting the procession. We then spoke with the organiser of the puja.

75% Muslims and 25% Hindus in Rajderwa

Krishnadev Yadav, who led the procession, informed us that he is from Rajderwa, where Muslims make up 75% of the population and Hindus make up 25%. He stated that the village’s leader was the wife of one Akram. Krishnadev lost the Panchayat election. He stated that 870 of the 1560 voters in the village were Muslims.

Krishnadev said he is a supporter of Bulldozer Baba since the Hindus in the area had several challenges before the formation of this government. When we inquired about the issues, he stated that in previous regimes, religious processions were not permitted. With this, he said that no one used to pay heed to their problems but now the administration listens to them promptly.

Rapid increase in the Muslim population on the Nepal border

Krishnadev Yadav told us that the population of Muslims on the Nepal-India border is growing significantly. According to Krishnadev Yadav, there was not always such a large Muslim population or as many mosques and madrasas. He stated that this was not the status of the populace and houses of worship in this area when he was a youngster. One member in the crowd also mentioned the influx of Rohingya Muslims into the region.

Another participant in the procession, Dharmendra Yadav, stated that he formerly supported the Samajwadi Party but was persecuted by Muslims during that tenure. Now, Dharmendra Yadav, who calls himself a Yogi fan, openly talked of re-electing Narendra Modi in 2024. Others in the procession said that the policy of 4 to 14 of Muslims had resulted in a rapid one-sided population expansion.

The first report in this series can be read here in Hindi: कभी था हिंदू बहुल गाँव, अब स्वस्तिक चिह्न वाले घर पर 786 का निशान: भारत के उस पार भी डेमोग्राफी चेंज, नेपाल में घुसते ही मस्जिद, मदरसा और इस्लाम – OpIndia Ground Report

The same report can be read here in English: Demographic change hits other side of the border too, Mosques and Madarasas mushroom in former Hindu dominated areas in Nepal: Ground report

The second report in this series can be read here in Hindi: घरों पर चाँद-तारे वाले हरे झंडे, मस्जिद-मदरसे, कारोबार में भी दखल: मुस्लिम आबादी बढ़ने के साथ ही नेपाल में कपिलवस्तु के ‘कृष्णा नगर’ पर गाढ़ा हुआ इस्लामी रंग – OpIndia Ground Report

The same report can be read here in English: Islamic flags flying atop houses and mosques, madarsas influencing businesses: The creeping Islamisation of Nepal’s Krishnanagar

The third report in this series can be read here in Hindi: नेपाल में लव जिहाद: बढ़ती मुस्लिम आबादी और नेपाली लड़कियों से निकाह के खेल में ‘दिल्ली कनेक्शन’, तस्कर-गिरोह भारतीय सीमा पर खतरा – OpIndia Ground Report

The same report can be read here in English: Rising cases of love jihad in Nepal and its Delhi connection, smuggling plaguing India’s border with Nepal: Ground report

The fourth report in this series can be read here in Hindi: बौद्ध आस्था के केंद्र हों या तालाब… हर जगह मजार: श्रावस्ती में घरों की छत पर लहरा रहे इस्लामी झंडे, OpIndia Ground Report

The same report can be read here in English: Steady rise in mazars and madarsas adjoining Buddhist places of worship in UP’s Shravasti near Indo-Nepal border: Ground report

The fifth report in this series can be read here in Hindi: महाराणा प्रताप के साथ लड़ी थारू जनजाति बहुल गाँव में 3 मस्जिद, 1 मदरसा: भारत-नेपाल सीमा पर बढ़ती मुस्लिम आबादी का ये है ‘पैटर्न’ – OpIndia Ground Report

The same report can be read here in English: Rising number of mosques, madarsa along Indo-Nepal border: Ground report on Islamisation of village of Tharu tribe that fought along Maharana Pratap

The sixth report in this series can be read here in Hindi: बौद्ध-जैन मंदिरों के बीच दरगाह बनाई, जिस मजार को पुलिस ने किया ध्वस्त… वो फिर चकमकाई: नेपाल सीमा पर बढ़ती मुस्लिम आबादी – OpIndia Ground Report

The same report can be read here in English: Dargah and mazar built around Buddhist and Jain temple premises, illegal mazar once demolished surfaces again: UP’s Shravasti near Nepal border