BJP govt demolished a shrine in northern India
Islamic shrine in Uttar Pradesh demolished under drainage project, raising concerns over recurring bulldozer actions targeting Muslim sites
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Authorities in northern India demolished a Muslim shrine in Uttar Pradesh this week under a development project, in a move that has renewed concerns about the growing use of demolition drives affecting Islamic religious sites in states governed by India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party.
The structure, associated with Hazrat Baba Jafar Ali Shah — locally known as “Masoom Baba” — was demolished in Gorakhpur city under a drainage expansion project aimed at addressing flooding in the area.
Heavy police deployment accompanied the demolition as bulldozers removed the shrine located near a residential neighborhood in Shahpur area.
Local residents gathered at the site as the structure was demolished, with witnesses describing emotional scenes as the shrine — believed to have existed for years — was removed. Authorities said the site fell within land designated for widening a drainage canal, part of an infrastructure push in the city.
However, the demolition has drawn attention to a broader pattern in Uttar Pradesh, where bulldozer-driven demolition campaigns have frequently targeted Muslim homes, businesses and religious structures under the banner of development or anti-encroachment drives.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s administration has repeatedly used bulldozer demolitions as a governance tool, with bulldozers becoming a political symbol showcased during rallies and public messaging.
Analysts and civil rights groups say these actions have disproportionately affected Muslim communities, raising concerns about selective enforcement.
Courts in India, including the Supreme Court and several high courts, have previously criticized demolition drives in the state, warning against punitive or arbitrary demolitions without due process. Despite such judicial observations, bulldozer operations have continued across multiple districts.
Gorakhpur, located in eastern Uttar Pradesh near the Nepal border, holds particular political significance as chief minister Adityanath’s home constituency. Observers say demolitions in such politically sensitive areas further fuel concerns about the targeting of Muslim religious sites.
Over recent years, several mosques, shrines and Muslim-owned properties in Uttar Pradesh and other BJP-ruled states have been demolished during development or anti-encroachment campaigns. Rights advocates argue that while development projects are cited as justification, Muslim religious sites often become focal points of enforcement actions.
The demolition of the Masoom Baba shrine has therefore added to broader concerns about shrinking space for minority religious structures and the increasing use of development drives that disproportionately impact Muslim communities.
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