Indian authorities demolish decades-old Muslim shrine
Residents said Sufi shrine had stood for more than 40 years but officials claimed it occupied government land during latest demolition drive
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Authorities in India’s Uttar Pradesh state have demolished a decades-old Muslim shrine, the latest in a series of demolition drives that have disproportionately affected Muslim religious sites and neighborhoods under the state’s Hindu nationalist government.
The Baba Faulad Shah Dargah, a Sufi shrine in Moradabad district, was razed on July 7 during an operation carried out under heavy police deployment.
Residents said the shrine had existed for more than four decades and was visited by both Muslims and Hindus, making it a longstanding symbol of the region’s shared religious traditions.
District officials claimed the shrine had been constructed on government land recorded as a pond and said the demolition formed part of an anti-encroachment campaign.
Authorities alleged the structure occupied about 0.162 hectares of public land, though local residents questioned why a shrine that had existed for decades was removed only now.
Witnesses said officials demolished not only the shrine but also an adjoining hall during an operation that lasted about two hours. Residents said the demolition took place during rainfall, when few people were present, leaving the community little opportunity to object before the structures were reduced to rubble.
“It was not only Muslims who visited this place. Hindus and people from other communities also came here to pay their respects,” one resident said.
Another resident described the shrine as part of the area’s collective memory.
“Many generations have known it as a place of faith and prayer,” the resident said.
The administration has maintained that the demolition was based on land records and legal procedures. However, local residents said the shrine had become an established place of worship over several decades and argued that authorities failed to consider its historical, religious and social significance before carrying out the operation.
Uttar Pradesh has witnessed an increasing number of demolitions targeting Muslim homes, businesses and religious structures in recent years. State authorities have routinely justified the actions by claiming the properties were illegally built or occupied public land.
Rights groups and legal experts, however, have repeatedly questioned the selective nature of such drives and warned that demolition campaigns are increasingly being used against Muslim communities under the guise of administrative enforcement.
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