In Uttarakhand, five people died and more than 80 are wounded in clashes triggered by the demolition of a mosque and a madrassa. Amnesty International reports the "punitive" demolition of at least 128 Muslim properties from April to June 2022, with at least 617 people left homeless. Varanasi could be the next flashpoint. To avoid this, locals are praying that “peace is not to be disturbed”.

 

New Delhi (AsiaNews) – Sectarian violence is again front-page news in India in the wake of the death of at least five people and the wounding of more than 80 in violent clashes triggered by the demolition of a mosque and a madrassa in the northern Indian State of Uttarakhand.

This incident follows the inauguration of a new Hindu temple in Ayodhya, dubbed "Modi’s temple” because Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the driving force behind its construction at the site of a mosque that was torn down. As compensation, Muslims are supposed to get another mosque at a different site following a decision by India’s Supreme Court.

The latest violence flared up in the city of Hakdwani (Nainital district), after local authorities decided to demolish a local mosque and Islamic school with bulldozers, unleashing the wrath of local Muslims.

According to police sources, a mob of angry Muslims set fire to cars and threw stones at the law enforcement agents, who moved in an attempt to quell the riot using tear gas and live ammunition.

The demolition and related consequences are “not communal and should not be seen as such,” said Vandana Singh, district magistrate in Nainital, at a press conference.

The protest is a response to a government decision to remove a “property that is neither registered as a religious site nor has it been given any such recognition,” the magistrate explained. “Some call the structure a madrassa,” she added.

For their part, Muslim residents responded by dismissing the official version saying that the mosque and Quranic school in Haldwani’s Banphoolpur area were active for almost 20 years and that the two structures were unfairly targeted.

Sumit Hridayesh, a legislator from the opposition Indian National Congress party representing Haldwani in the state assembly, said the violence was the result of "hasty action" by the government administration.

In his view, residents, including Muslim leaders, should have been notified, if not consulted, before proceeding with the demolition.

Whatever the case, the authorities were bent on the demolitions and have now taken a hard line against the protest, imposing a curfew, suspending internet connections, shutting down schools, and banning large gatherings.

Uttarakhand’s chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said the government would take the “strictest action against rioters and miscreants”.

This case comes as Hindu supremacist groups stepped up their campaign against Muslims and their religious properties since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office a decade ago.

Last month, Modi himself inaugurated a Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya, built on the site of a centuries-old Mughal era mosque destroyed by Hindu fanatics in 1992.

The controversy, which ended up in the courts without finding a resolution, continues to fuel sectarian tensions.

Muslim groups have accused governments ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using bulldozers to illegally demolish homes and businesses of people accused of violence.

In two separate reports published this week, Amnesty International documented the "punitive" demolition of at least 128 Muslim properties between April and June 2022, rendering at least 617 people homeless or without any livelihood.

“The unlawful demolition of Muslim properties by the Indian authorities, peddled as ‘bulldozer justice’ by political leaders and media, is cruel and appalling. … They are destroying families – and must stop immediately,” said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, in a statement on Wednesday.

As for Modi’s temple in Ayodhya, local sources report that the first stone has been laid not far from the Hindu temple for the construction of the future mosque.

The final details have apparently been worked for the work to start. The mosque is supposed to be called Muhammad Bin Abdullah Masjid, named after the Prophet of Islam.

Haji Arfat Shaikh, chairman of the development committee and trustee of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, came from Mumbai to supervise the work.

The mosque is expected to include some unique elements, such as minarets symbolising the five principles of Islam: shahada (declaration of faith), salah (prayer or Namaz), sawm (fasting or Roza), zakat (charity), and hajj (pilgrimage).

With religious tensions running high in the country, Varanasi, one of the sacred cities for Hindus on the Ganges River, could be next flashpoint with unpredictable consequences.

At present, streets and boats are decked out saffron flags bearing illustrations of Ram. But not far away, to the west of the Kashi Vishwanath temple, the carnival-like spirit is nowhere to be seen, replaced by a stern and gloomy atmosphere, with barricades and police officers greeting crowds.

The agents are there to guard the Gyanvapi Mosque, which is believed to have been built on the ruins of a 16th century Kashi Vishwanath temple demolished by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1669.

While the partially ruined temple has been rebuilt and sits adjacent to the Gyanvapi mosque, Hindu supremacist groups have been trying to reclaim the mosque for decades.

In May 2022, some Hindu worshippers approached a Varanasi court, asking for permission to pray inside the mosque compound after a symbol of the Hindu deity Shiva emerged in a video near a well used by Muslim devotees at the mosque.

But for some Indian Muslims, India’s justice system “is against Muslims", and they fear that tensions might escalate and lead to more sectarian violence.

Amid an imposing security ring around the mosque, hundreds of worshippers gathered outside the Gynavapi mosque for Friday prayers in an atmosphere of uncertainty. “There is a sense of anxiety in every Muslim’s mind,” said Rais Ahmad Ansari, a local attorney.

Still, speaking to Al-Jazeera, Abhishek Sharma, a devotee of the Kashi temple and coordinator of the Swagatam Kashi Foundation, noted that, “[P]eople in Varanasi believe in ‘Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb’,” a metaphor for social harmony that references the mingling of the waters of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers.

“We have always believed in living together in sanctity. We pray that this peace is not disturbed in any way,” Abhishek Sharma added.

INDIAN MANDALA IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO INDIA. TO RECEIVE A WEEKLY UPDATE EVERY FRIDAY, CLICK HERE.

• india
• uttarakhand
• Hakdwani
• varanasi
• sectarian violence
• hindus
• muslims
• narendra modi
• ayohdya