A fresh case of land jihad has been exposed in Uttrakhand, where Hindus are raising voices to remove a Mosque constructed nearby Tehri Dam. As per the local Hindus, an illegal mosque has been constructed a few years back at Khand-Khala Koti Colony, which is quite close to the Tehri Dam. Local Hindus along with several Hindu organizations have raised these concerns a number of times and requested the government to remove the illegal mosque from the area, but it hasn’t been removed yet.
Hindus have now started an aggressive protest against this illegal mosque that has come up near the Tehri dam, and they have intensified their efforts to recover 150 sq. meters of land from the clutches of this unlawful possession. A video has been shot during the protest, where a police officer rudely asking one of the protestors to keep his tone down.
We are appalled by such a blatant apathy of the administration, which instead of getting the illegal structure removed, trying every possible way to curb the rightful voices. People are showing their support for this cause and a trend #RemoveTehriMosque has been doing the rounds on the social media.
This is not the news issue, as per the locals, there are several illegal constructions cropped up in recent years and this is impacting the demography of the state as well. This is creating a law and order situation as well, as we can see massive growth in crimes in these areas in a couple of years.
People are alleging that the Government removed thousands of structures, farmlands, temples, and several other social buildings when Tehri Dam was constructed. All authorized owners of these properties were displaced to different areas like New Tehri and other cities, and they were given adequate compensation and appropriate land by the Government.
The Grand Old Land Jihad Strategy
When the dam was constructed, the JP group constructed a temporary mosque for Muslim employees, so that they can offer namaz. Though people raised concerns at that time as well, as this is a Land Jihad strategy employed by these people. They make temporary or ad-hoc structures and then encroach the land and make the structure permanent. Past that Muslims increase their demographic strength in the area, and force others to leave the area.
A similar strategy was employed here as well. Once the dam construction was completed, the corporate and the employees went away, but the temporary mosque was not removed, and later on, several other illegal structures also cropped up in the nearby areas. The area observed a demographic change as well, and there is growing resentment among the local Hindus, who are concerned about their safety and welfare.
Every Friday, hundreds of Muslims come here to offer namaz, and while offering prayers they block the road completely. There is a college nearby, and female students and women from the locality often pass through this road. There have been numerous cases of harassment have been registered in the region, especially on Friday, where there are over hundred Muslims sitting on the roadside. Locals have raised complaints several times, but no one is ready to take any action.
The administration is aware, but not taking any concrete action
This mosque is a security threat as well, as only a few meters from the mosque, there’s a CISF base that protects the Tehri dam from any hazard or other lapses. However, local administration and government are not paying any heed to such concerns. Several Hindus Hindu organizations such as Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and even local BJP leaders, tried to get the mosque eliminated. Still, no concrete action has been taken by the administration.
It’s not that if Administration is not aware of the legal aspects, there was a joint survey conducted by the administration and they found that mosque is completely illegal. The Maulvi Mohammad Usmaan, who manages the mosque, is a known person here and allegedly has good connections with the local administration, which seems the reason why this mosque is yet to be demolished.
The administration has taken stern action against other illegal encroachments in the area, they have removed many temporary shops and other structures swiftly, but when it comes to the mosque, everyone is shifting the blame to someone else, and no one is ready to take any action.
Mosque has become a fulcrum to infiltrate outsiders
The local people have raised this concern many times, that most of the people who offer namaz in the mosque are not locals. It is a small locality, and almost everyone knows each other by their faces. It is not hard to identify locals as everyone can identify each other personally, but those people who visit this mosque are not locals, and it is almost impossible to track them.
There is no doubt that illegal outsiders are being infiltrated in the state with a clear strategy, and they may be Rohingyas as well, who knows?
It is quite absurd that this illegal structure is still standing though everyone knows that it is illegal. We urge the Uttrakhand Government and the local Administration to take an immediate action and remove this mosque. Also, the Maulvi must be questioned and all the illegal outsiders must be arrested and stern action must be taken against them.
