Mumbai: The Hindu nationalist government of the Indian state of Maharashtra, under the influence of extremist Hindutva ideology has demolished a three-decade-old mosque and madrasa in Mumbai, on the pretext of road widening.
According to the Kashmir Media Service, the police and municipal authorities in Ghat Kopar-Andheri Street of Mumbai, amid strict security, demolished a mosque and a school in the face of developmental projects.
The Maharashtra government’s decision to demolish the Gulshan Ahmed Raza Madrasa and Masjid Tahira in Mumbai has sparked criticism, especially as it aligns with the broader trend of targeting Islamic religious structures under the guise of development projects. The demolition occurred in the Ghat Kopar-Andheri street, raising concerns about the preservation of religious institutions.
This incident follows a similar occurrence on December 28, when a shrine near Gandhi Maidan in Kurla (West) was razed to the ground during early morning hours, citing illegality. In both cases, the government pointed to the necessity of road widening projects, leading to questions about the priorities and justifications for such actions.
The Tahira Mosque and Gulshan-e-Ahmed Raza Madrasa had been present in the area for over 30 years. However, suddenly the Mumbai administration sent a notice stating that both places are coming in the way of the expansion project of the road, so they need to be demolished.
On the other hand, Trustee Mansoor Sheikh of the mosque and school mentioned that the mosque committee had obtained legal protection during the widening project from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
However, without considering the legal position of the mosque committee and the reports of the local residents, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority demolished the mosque and madrasa, leading to a wave of sorrow in the Muslim community.
This is not the first incident of the destruction of a mosque amid developmental work in Mumbai. On December 28, a shrine near Gandhi Maidan was also unlawfully demolished.
Just yesterday, India’s Supreme Court upheld the Allahabad High Court’s order appointing an advocate commissioner to survey the 17th-century Shahi Eidgah mosque to verify claims made by Hindutva groups that claim the mosque was once a temple.
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