Elham Asaad Buaras
A nearly 200-year-old mosque and adjoining shrine complex have been demolished in a late night operation in northern India, as authorities cleared land for a major railway redevelopment project.
The Ajgaib Shaheed Mosque and Mazar complex in Varanasi, in the constituency of Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was brought down shortly after midnight on June 2 in a heavily guarded operation.
Roads around the site were sealed, barricades erected and around 1,000 security personnel deployed before bulldozers moved in to clear the structure.
According to the Economic Times, police, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) units were deployed “in large numbers around the railway station to maintain law and order” during the operation.
Officials said the demolition followed a court order after a prolonged legal dispute over the land.
“The mosque and shrine were located on railway land that had been encroached upon over the years,” officials were quoted as saying in multiple Indian reports.
The dispute emerged during a 2024 survey linked to the Kashi Model Railway Station redevelopment project, when authorities identified what they described as unauthorised structures on railway property.
A senior official said, “During the measurement and verification of land records, it was found that the site was situated on railway land. Notices were issued asking the occupants to vacate the premises.”
When the structures were not removed, the case went to court. Authorities said the judiciary ultimately ruled in favour of Indian Railways, clearing the way for demolition.
The ₹304.61 crore redevelopment scheme aims to transform Kashi Railway Station into a major multi, modal transport hub.
However, local Muslim residents disputed the claims, saying the mosque, shrine and adjoining graveyard had stood for generations and carried deep religious significance.
The site, they said, had long been overseen by caretaker Shamim Ustad, who died several months ago. “The mosque has been here for hundreds of years and our ancestors prayed here,” local residents were quoted as saying in Indian media reports, rejecting claims that the structure was an encroachment.
Railway authorities maintained the land belonged to Indian Railways, insisting historical records showed a shrine existed on the site before the mosque expanded over time.
Officials also pointed to reports that a nearby Hindu temple on the same stretch of land was removed during the same clearance drive, saying the operation formed part of a wider infrastructure push rather than targeting any religious community.
The demolition has added to ongoing tensions in India over redevelopment projects involving religious and historic sites, particularly where ownership and heritage claims are contested.
Varanasi, one of Hinduism’s holiest cities and a key political base for Modi, has repeatedly been at the centre of similar disputes.
While authorities insist the operation was fully lawful and court, approved, critics argue that repeated demolitions involving Muslim sites are raising concerns about the protection of religious heritage amid rapid urban redevelopment.
