Indian authorities seek ownership proof for 150-year-old mosque
Notice issued to mosque and Sufi shrine in northern India fuels fresh concerns over targeting of Muslim religious sites amid wave of demolitions
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Authorities in northern India have ordered the caretakers of a historic mosque and an adjacent Sufi shrine to prove ownership of the land within seven days, raising fresh concerns among Muslim groups over the fate of religious sites amid a series of demolitions in states governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The notice was issued by the Public Works Department (PWD) for the mosque and dargah — a shrine built over the grave of a revered Muslim saint — in Rampur district, Uttar Pradesh, according to local reports.
PWD Executive Engineer K.V. Singh said departmental records do not show the structures as authorized and warned that they could be removed if they are found to be built on government land.
“We examined the department’s records and found no documents showing the structure to be authorized. If it is found to be an encroachment, it will be removed,” Singh said in a video statement, adding that the caretakers have been given seven days to submit ownership documents.
The caretaker of the shrine disputed the department’s claims, saying the mosque is around 150 years old and registered with the state’s Waqf Board, the statutory body that manages Muslim religious endowments in India.
He said the mosque and shrine possess the necessary records and that the documents would be submitted to authorities within the deadline. He also warned that demolishing the site despite the documentation would amount to an unjust action.
The dispute comes as Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state governed by the Hindu supremacist BJP under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has witnessed repeated controversies over the demolition of Muslim homes, mosques, shrines and religious schools during infrastructure projects or alleged anti-encroachment drives.
Muslim organizations and civil rights groups have accused authorities of disproportionately targeting Islamic religious properties while using administrative actions such as land disputes, road expansion and redevelopment projects to justify demolitions.
Officials have consistently maintained that such actions are carried out under existing laws and are not aimed at any particular community.
The latest notice follows a series of demolitions involving Muslim religious sites across several BJP-ruled states. In recent months, authorities have demolished mosques, Sufi shrines and Islamic seminaries in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and other parts of India, prompting criticism from Muslim organizations that describe the actions as part of a broader pattern targeting the country’s Islamic heritage.
The Public Works Department said it will review the ownership documents, if submitted, before deciding whether further action against the mosque and shrine is warranted.
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