Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP razes historic mosque in defiance of court

Debris from the decades-old mosque in Uttar Pradesh state, governed by a hardline member of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party, was thrown into a river.

FILE PHOTO: A mob of Hindu nationalists demolishes the Babri Mosque in 1992 in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

FILE PHOTO: A mob of Hindu nationalists demolishes the Babri Mosque in 1992 in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Local authorities in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh have demolished a mosque that predates the establishment of the Indian state by decades, according to the Guardian.

The decision to illegally demolish the mosque despite a court order against the move has echos of the demolishment of the Babri Mosque in 1992 by a mob of Hindu nationalists in the same state. 

When the Babri Mosque was demolished, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in charge of the state and is widely believed to have allowed rioters to destroy the mosque that had been around since the 16th century.

Loading...

BJP-controlled state

Uttar Pradesh is controlled by the BJP, which is also the country's ruling party headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In August 2020, Modi controversially laid a foundation stone for a Hindu temple on the site of the Babri Mosque, drawing widespread condemnation at the move. 

In the latest demolishment in Uttar Pradesh, authorities were aware that demolishing the mosque illegally could draw protests and created a 1.5km exclusionary zone. 

A heavy security presence was followed by bulldozers razing the mosque to the ground, and the rubble being thrown into a nearby river. 

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and close ally of Modi, Yogi Adityanath, a Hindu nationalist monk, has been an outspoken opponent of Islam and Muslims. 

The saffron-clad Adityanath has in the past referred to Indian Muslims as a "virus."

The firebrand Hindu nationalist has also led mobs against the states increasingly beleaguered Muslim minority. 

A local Muslim leader in Uttar Pradesh, speaking to a British newspaper following the demolishment of the mosque, said, "All Muslims were scared, so no one went near the mosque or dared to protest when the mosque was being demolished. Even today, several dozen people are leaving their homes and hiding in other areas out of the fear of the police."

Online reactions to the move have been scathing. 

The Indian American Muslim Council called it one of the "most inflammatory actions taken against a Muslim place of worship since the demolition of Babri Mosque by a mob of Hindu nationalists in 1992."

Another user said, "the violent demagogue Modi is waging open religious war on minorities."

Under Modi's rule, life for the country's more than 200 million Muslims has become increasingly difficult. 

Modi's BJP is at the forefront of stigmatizing the country's Muslim minority. 

In February 2020, a Hindu nationalist mob in the country's capital of New Dehli led a pogrom that left 52 Muslims dead.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, according to reports, anti-Muslim attacks and disinformation have become increasingly prolific in the country.

Loading...
Route 6