Rights report alleges systematic targeting of mosques in India

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A civil rights organization has accused authorities in India’s western state of Rajasthan of systematically targeting Muslim places of worship through demolition and eviction drives, alleging widespread violations of due process despite the government’s insistence that the campaign is aimed at removing illegal encroachments.

The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) made the allegations in a fact-finding report released over the weekend after investigating demolition and eviction proceedings involving mosques, Islamic schools, shrines and graveyards in districts along the India-Pakistan border.

Titled Notices, Faith and Justice, the report is based on field visits to affected communities, interviews with residents, mosque committees, lawyers and elected representatives, as well as a review of official notices and land records. 

APCR said it documented 71 cases involving Muslim religious institutions, including 63 in Barmer district and eight in Jaisalmer, while warning that additional proceedings remain underway.

According to the report, authorities have already demolished six mosques in Barmer, one mosque in Jaisalmer, and one mosque along with several Muslim shrines in Bikaner, with other cases pending before courts.

A central finding concerns how eviction notices were served. APCR alleged that many notices, although dated June 11, were not delivered until June 17, leaving recipients with as little as one day to respond before scheduled hearings. In several cases, notices were reportedly sent through WhatsApp or pasted onto mosque walls.

The organization said residents told investigators that officials either refused to meet them on the scheduled hearing dates or declined to accept their written responses, raising concerns that affected communities were denied a meaningful opportunity to challenge demolition orders.

Rajasthan authorities have maintained that the campaign is part of an anti-encroachment drive tied to border security and land management within a 50-kilometer zone along the India-Pakistan frontier. Officials have denied targeting any religious community, saying unauthorized structures of all kinds are subject to enforcement.

However, APCR said residents alleged that religious structures belonging to other communities in the same areas had not faced comparable action, prompting the group to call for an independent inquiry into whether the enforcement campaign has been applied selectively.

The report also questioned the legal basis for a uniform demolition policy, arguing that the affected properties fall under different land classifications and are governed by varying historical and revenue records, requiring case-by-case assessment rather than blanket administrative action.

APCR urged the Hindu nationalist BJP-led Rajasthan government to suspend demolitions in cases pending before courts, comply with Supreme Court guidelines governing demolitions, provide adequate notice and fair hearings, independently verify land and Waqf records, and establish an independent judicial or quasi-judicial inquiry into the campaign.

The findings come amid growing scrutiny of demolition drives targeting Muslim homes and religious institutions in several Indian states.

Rights groups have argued that such operations are increasingly being used as punitive measures against Muslim communities, while authorities claim they are enforcing land and planning laws.