Hyderabad:
AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday condemned the demolition of a mosque contained in the Saharanpur Collectorate advanced in Uttar Pradesh, questioning whether or not the constitutional assure of freedom of faith nonetheless applies equally to Muslims.
The mosque was demolished by authorities early Saturday following a court docket order. The motion got here after a Saharanpur court docket upheld an earlier resolution declaring the construction to be an unauthorised occupation of presidency land. Authorities maintained that the demolition was carried out in accordance with due course of.
Reacting to the demolition in a publish on X, Owaisi mentioned, “You can not bulldoze our masjid simply because you may have an itch.” He additionally questioned the constitutional safeguards obtainable to Muslims, asking whether or not the assure of spiritual freedom nonetheless applies to them.
Owaisi claimed that historic data relationship again to 1911 set up the existence of the mosque. He argued that the Collectorate itself was constructed later and alleged that the mosque had authorized safety beneath the idea of “waqf by person” and adversarial possession.
The AIMIM chief accused the BJP of focusing on Muslim non secular websites, alleging that mosques, dargahs, and graveyards had been being subjected to selective motion.
“They’re demolishing shrines (Dargahs) and destroying graveyards. They’re focusing on solely Muslims,” Owaisi mentioned, in response to a video of his remarks.
He additional alleged that the demolition mirrored hostility in direction of mosques, saying, “They harbour hatred in direction of mosques and the very presence of Muslims.”
Owaisi additionally criticised the timing of the motion and argued that the mosque’s representatives ought to have been allowed to pursue additional authorized treatments. “Pure justice calls for that they be allowed to method increased courts,” he added.
The political controversy comes after the Metropolis Justice of the Peace’s July order held that the mosque occupied 315 sq. metres of presidency land and ordered its elimination, together with a penalty of about Rs 6.41 crore. A district court docket subsequently dismissed an enchantment in opposition to the order.
Owaisi introduced that AIMIM would reply to the difficulty by means of “constitutional and political means”, signalling that the demolition is more likely to develop right into a broader political challenge in Uttar Pradesh, the place meeting elections are due in February-March 2027.
