BJP leader threatens demolition of historic mosque in India
Muslims in northern India demand action after BJP politician invokes Babri Masjid precedent and threatens to tear down Sambhal’s Shahi Jama Masjid
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A senior politician from India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sparked anger and fear in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
He has publicly threatened to demolish the historic Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, comparing it to the 1992 destruction of the Babri Masjid — a landmark event that triggered nationwide riots.
Rajesh Singhal, a former district president of the BJP in Sambhal, told supporters at a public gathering that the historic mosque stood on the site of an ancient Harihar Temple, echoing a claim promoted by several Hindutva groups.
“Just as the Babri Masjid was brought down for the Ram Temple, every brick of this place will also be taken out,” he said.
For many Muslims in the district, the remarks revived traumatic memories of past communal violence. Residents who spoke to journalists said the statement appeared designed to provoke fear and mobilize Hindu voters ahead of upcoming elections.
One resident said the ruling party “gives space to hate-filled comments,” adding, “They speak like this because they feel protected. This is meant to scare us and to keep the issue burning during elections.”
Legal representatives for the mosque condemned the threat and warned that Singhal’s comment interfered with an active court case.
Shakeel Warsi, the mosque’s lawyer, said: “Rajesh Singhal’s words are not only troubling, they insult the court. The case is still going on in the Allahabad High Court, and no one has the right to make such threats.”
The Shahi Jama Masjid dispute is currently before the Allahabad High Court, where Hindu groups — including Mahant Rishiraj Giri and an organization calling itself the Harihar Sena — claim the mosque was built on a demolished temple.
Muslim community leaders say such allegations follow a wider pattern in which Hindutva organizations seek to reframe mosques as disputed religious sites.
Local leaders say the latest remarks mirror a broader trend of inflammatory rhetoric aimed at polarizing communities. One member of the Sambhal Muslim community said: “These statements are made only to win Hindu votes. They try to stay in the news by dragging our places of worship into their politics.”
Muslim groups have demanded that state authorities file a criminal case against Singhal, arguing that failing to act against such threats “sends a dangerous message” and encourages further hostility. They also appealed to people of all faiths to reject attempts to inflame communal tensions.
While the legal dispute continues in the Allahabad High Court, residents say fear has sharply increased after the BJP leader’s public threat, deepening concerns about the growing targeting of minority religious sites under India’s Hindu nationalist political climate.
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