After Sanjauli Mosque in Himachal Pradesh, Hindu organisations are calling for the removal of an alleged illegal mosque in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. On the 24th of October 2024, members of local Hindu rights organisations like the Sanyukt Sanatan Dharma Rakshak Sangh staged a protest rally against the illegal structure.
Following stone pelting, tensions rose and the police lathi-charged the protesters leaving several injured. Hindu organisations have alleged that a mosque has been built illegally on government land in the Barahat area of Uttarkashi.
A rally was held by the protesters starting from Hanuman Chowk against this. Swami Darshan Bharti, leader of the Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan, was also present in the rally. During this time, the protesters also raised slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Markets remained completely closed in Uttarkashi, Dunda, Bhatwadi and Joshiyada during the protest.
When the protesters tried to remove the barricades, they clashed with the police and the police lathi-charged the protesters. During this, tear gas shells were also fired. 27 people, including 2 female protesters and 8 police officers, were injured in the clash. The injured have been admitted to the district hospital for treatment.
गुरुवार को उत्तरकाशी में आयोजित हुई जन आक्रोश रैली के दौरान प्रदर्शनकारियों/भीड़ द्वारा की गई पथराव की घटना, कानून एवं शांति व्यवस्था बनाए रखने के दृष्टिगत लगाई गई धारा 163 BNSS आदि के संबंध में SP उत्तरकाशी श्री अमित श्रीवास्तव जी की बाइट।#UttarakhandPolice pic.twitter.com/mCibfe9LgH
— Uttarakhand Police (@uttarakhandcops) October 25, 2024
The police crackdown on Hindu activists was met with outrage, and on Friday, the local traders and Hindu activists observed a “Bandh” in the Yamunaghati area to register their protest against the police. It has been reportedly decided that a Hindu Mahapanchayat will be held on the 4th of November to address this matter.
On Thursday night (23rd October), Swami Darshan Bharti issued a warning that if namaz were offered at the illegal Uttarkashi mosque on Friday, markets will remain shut and there would be widespread protests. In reaction to the rising tensions, District Magistrate Dr. Meharban Singh Bisht enforced Section 144 in Uttarkashi District.
Extending solidarity to the Vyapar Mandal, Uttarkashi’s vegetable market stayed shut. To successfully manage the situation, police from Tehri Garhwal, Haridwar, and Dehradun were dispatched to the region. Members of various Hindu organisations met at the Vishwanath Temple compound in the afternoon to raise their demands regarding the said illegal mosque.
What is the protest against the mosque about
Hindus say that the mosque in Uttarkashi has been built illegally on government land. However, the district administration says that the mosque is old and is built on the land of the people of the Muslim community. Regarding this, the District Magistrate Office of Uttarkashi also issued a notice on the 21st of October. In this, the report of Bhatwadi’s Sub-Divisional Magistrate Mukesh Chand Ramola has been cited, in which he said that the land on which the mosque is built is registered in the name of the land account holders.
This mosque is also reported to be mentioned in the government gazette published by the Muslim Waqf Department of the Uttar Pradesh government on 20th May 1987. In this, the khasra, raqwa, Nali and religious purpose of the mosque are mentioned on behalf of the Sunni Waqf. This land was reportedly bought by Ramzan Ali, Abdul Hameed Beg, Ali Ahmed, Yasin Beg, Ilahivaksh, and Mohammad Rafiq, residents of Sakinan Uttarkashi, Patti Barahat, Tehsil Bhatwadi. They apparently purchased a total of four Nali and 15 Mutthi land [Mutthi and Nali are traditional units of land measurement in Uttarakhand].
The mutation of the land took place in 2004, and an order passed by the Tehsildar in 2005 states that the mosque is built on the land in question. This dispute began when the Sanyukt Sanatan Dharma Rakshak Sangh sought information about the mosque under RTI. In this, the district administration gave vague information and said that it did not have the necessary documents.
Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan founder Swami Darshan Bharti says that the administration provided incorrect information in the RTI. Following this, on the 6th of September, 2024, Hindu organisations protested outside the DM office, demanding the mosque’s demolition. They issued a three-day ultimatum to the administration. They stated that if their demand was not met, they would demolish the mosque themselves. Following this, the District Magistrate of Uttarkashi appointed a committee to investigate the matter. This committee stated that the mosque is legal and does not sit on government land.
Reports say that the local Muslim community claimed that the Uttarkashi mosque was constructed in the pre-independence period, however, at that time it had only two floors and three others were illegally constructed later on.
Local Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gaurav Pandey has said that several “outsiders” have entered the Devbhoomi and are involved in illegal activities. Pandey stated that in recent years, cases of molestation and enticing of women have increased in hilly areas, resulting in anger among locals, which can be seen on the streets. The BJP leader said that there have been illegal encroachments and buildings on government land in several parts of the state, which have been reported by locals; the government has taken note of this and freed many hectares of land from encroachment. He further stated, “In the Pushkar Singh Dhami government, no one will be allowed to take the law into their hands and strict action will be taken against the culprits.”
On 28th October, the police conducted a routine inspection in the unrest-hit area. The Investigating Officer Manoj Aswal said that as part of the investigation, a routine inspection of the spot has been done. Also, a map has been prepared of where the protesters were coming from and where the policemen were standing. He said that efforts have been made to collect evidence from the spot and based on the evidence found, the stone pelters will be identified and arrested.
