It was well past midnight, with most people asleep, when a convoy of bulldozers moved towards Madina Mosque in Shalimar Bagh, Delhi.
Heavy police security was deployed in the area as demolition work was carried out on upper portion of the mosque and several adjoining houses. The Delhi civic authorities said the action was part of a road-widening project.
However, the mosque committee questioned why the demolition was carried out at night while legal proceedings were still underway and why the religious structure was not given sufficient time before the action was taken.
The demolition operation was carried out on the night of 23 September near the road leading towards Max Hospital. According to the civic authorities, the action was aimed at removing alleged encroachments to facilitate road widening.
The authorities also said that notices had been issued earlier. Similar eviction drives had previously been carried out along other portions of the same road.
Madina Mosque committee, however, presented a different account.
Committee president Mobin Khan said that, on the advice of their lawyer, they had initially sought clear copies of the relevant documents so that they could respond properly. In the meantime, the civic authorities issued the first, second and third notices.
The final notice reportedly mentioned that the structure would be demolished within 15 days. The committee subsequently approached the appellate tribunal.
Mobin claimed that during the hearing, the civic authorities said one floor of the mosque, which had an electricity meter, was recognised, while the remaining portions were being treated as new construction.
The committee then submitted a building plan for a three-storey structure dating back to 2001.
It also sought an examination of the age of plaster on the walls. However, the committee alleged that its documents and submissions were not given adequate consideration.
Madina Mosque imam Zarifur Rahman questioned why the mosque was being singled out.
He said that many houses in Shalimar Bagh had been constructed on the basis of general powers of attorney and asked why, among several properties operating under similar arrangements, only the mosque was being treated as an unauthorised construction.
After receiving news of the demolition operation, AIMIM Delhi president Shoaib Jamai reached the spot late at night. He claimed that the entire area had been surrounded by police.
According to Jamai, the Quran and other belongings were still inside the mosque at the time. He said that he and his associates entered the premises and removed the Quran and other essential items.
Jamai alleged that the midnight demolition raised serious questions concerning constitutional rights.
He compared the Shalimar Bagh incident with the demolition of a mosque in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and said that a similar situation should not be allowed to develop in Delhi.
Bulldozer operations of this nature have previously triggered intense political controversy in BJP-ruled states.
Opposition parties have alleged that religious minority structures and residential properties are being targeted in the name of development or action against encroachments. The Shalimar Bagh incident has once again brought these questions to the forefront.
