The name is Siddharthnagar, but this UP district along the Nepal border is full of mazars, mosques and madrasas

Recently many reports have emerged highlighting the rapid demographic change on the Nepal-India border. The number of mosques and madrasas is increasing continuously. Team OpIndia visited the border areas from August 20 to 27, 2022 to take stock of the situation on the ground and released reports in a sequential manner. This is the 18th report of the same series.

A day after reporting on places of worships of the Muslim population in Shravasti and Balrampur districts, team OpIndia moved towards Siddharthnagar district, which is adjacent to the Nepal border. The way to Siddharthnagar district goes through Pachpedwa road in Balrampur district.

The number of places of worship on the road and in the markets in Siddharthnagar district is more or less the same as we had reported in the districts of Shravasti and Balrampur. Here in this report, we are to discuss the demographic change on those roads and markets areas of Siddharthnagar district, which are close to the Nepal border.

We arrived in Malgahiya village as soon as we entered Siddharthnagar from Pachpedwa in the Balrampur district. This settlement is located near the Nepal border, on the side of the road that touches the border. From the road, two places of worship could be observed in this settlement. Both shrines were white, and their minarets could be seen from a reasonable distance. The locals also informed our people about the operation of a madrasa in the region.

Two Islamic places of worship spotted in Malgahiya village

We must have travelled not more than two kilometres from Malgahiya hamlet when we reached a market named Jiabhari. Another shrine located behind trees and stores in the Ziabhari bazaar was visible from the road. This shrine was also white.

Islamic shrine located behind the tree in Jiabhari

Ugly border and goats in the no man’s land

We further arrived at Badhni Bazaar on the Nepal border after passing through many more shrines and tiny and large places of worship. On the border, reporters noticed a heap of debris and mud and pet goats could be seen grazing in the border’s No Man’s Land. On the way to Siddharthnagar, the team observed several businesses like Ahmed Boot House, Maqsood Shoe Centre, Salim’s Shoe Shop, and others.

Restrictions on celebrating festivals in earlier governments

Meanwhile, the Veda mantras printed on the board of a school in the Barhni area of Siddharthnagar drew our attention. This is the last school on the Indian border, and its name is Dayanand Laghu Madhyamik Vidyalaya. It was a holiday here, but we spoke with the woman principal who was present.

The woman principal of Dayanand Laghu Madhyamik Vidyalaya told us that under previous regimes, orders were issued to remove the Durga Puja idol at 12’o clock, but under the present government, the people here feel much more secure as there are no restrictions. The principal stated that she had been at the same school for about a decade and a half. This school also includes Aryakanya Vidyalaya.

Dayanand Laghu Madhyamik Vidyalaya and Aryakanya Vidyalaya

Hindus are no longer the land owners

An elderly person who runs a store called ‘Jai Maa Annapurna Giri Gas Chulha Repair’ next to the border of Dayanand Vidyalaya told us that most of the land on the Barhni border used to belong to this Dayanand School’s former principal, Tiwari Ji. He went on to say that over time, numerous individuals acquired his land and that Tiwari ji’s lone school is now left.

The famous naqab centre in Badhni Bazar

The very special thing that we saw in Badhni Bazar of Siddharthnagar was the naqab center. We saw a naqab shop, which is named ‘Omar Naqab Centre’. The shop is not located far from Barhni railway station. Interestingly, the advertisement flex of this shop featured women wearing hijabs and burqas. Something written in the Arabic language could be seen printed on the board. The shop is known to sell Irani chadar. A customer who was purchasing a mask from this business informed us that hijab is popular here.

It is also worth noting that in Siddharthnagar district, there is a market called Dumariaganj, where, during the previous assembly elections, unacceptable slogans were raised in support of the SP’s woman candidate Syeda Khatoon. The police had also filed an FIR against the newly elected MLA and several of her supporters in that case. Dumariaganj market is also considered to be Muslim-dominated.

We previously published a report on Dumariaganj in Siddharthnagar district as part of a series on Nepal’s rising Muslim population and booming mosque-madrasas. Dumariaganj is the only place where water taps with Urdu and Arabic nameplates have been installed on the Indo-Nepal border by ‘The Khair Technical Society. On these taps, the ‘United Arab Emirates Association‘ is written in Arabic and the ‘Khair Technical Society India‘ is written in English. According to the locals interviewed for this report, such taps were installed using ‘zakat’ money.

Hundreds of mosques-madrasas near the border

OpIndia also gathered information regarding mosques and madrasas in the Siddharthnagar region of Nepal. According to the data, in Siddharthnagar, within the area of 15 kilometres from the Nepal border, there are around 260 mosques, and 175 madrasas operating presently. 20 mosques have madrasas attached.

The above numbers do not include the number of mazars that are to be found basically everywhere. These estimates presented in this report do not cover the entire Nepal border adjacent to Siddharthnagar district. Locals told us under the condition of anonymity, that the actual number of mosques and madrasas is much higher.

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