Uttarakhand HC directs police to ensure law and order amid calls to demolish Uttarkashi mosque
A petition by a minority rights group has sought protection for the mosque, which was built in 1969 and registered as a Waqf property in 1987.
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The Uttarakhand High Court has told the police and civil administration to ensure law and order in and around Uttarkashi’s Jama Masjid amid demands from Hindutva groups that the 55-year-old mosque be demolished.
A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal on November 22 directed the district magistrate and senior superintendent of police to ensure that no untoward incidents occur in the area. The case is slated to be heard again on Wednesday.
Hindutva groups have been demanding that the mosque be demolished, claiming that it was built illegally. However, the district administration had said that the mosque was built legally in 1969, and was registered with all the necessary documents, according to The Times of India.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has called for a mahapanchayat, or a mega conclave, against the mosque on December 1.
In this backdrop, an organisation named the Alpasankhyak Seva Samiti approached the High Court seeking directions to protect the mosque.
The petition said that the Jama Masjid was built in 1969 on privately purchased land, and that it was registered as a Waqf property in 1987. A waqf is a property given for a religious, educational or charitable cause by Muslims.
“However, in September 2024, the Hindu outfit leaders – Jitendra Singh Chauhan, Swami Darshan Bharti,...
