Harun Nasrullah
Authorities in Uttar Pradesh demolished several shops and a decades-old Muslim shrine in Sitapur on September 1, under heavy police deployment ordered by District Magistrate Abhishek Anand. Revenue officials supervised the bulldozing of the site.
Officials said the shrine and adjoining shops had been built illegally on public land worth about £180,000. “This move was crucial to remove illegal encroachments that were standing for decades. Government land cannot be used illegally,” said Additional District Magistrate Nitish Kumar Singh.
The action has alarmed many local Muslims, with shopkeepers lamenting the loss of their only livelihood and others emphasising the spiritual importance of religious structures, which should not be demolished without community consultation. “The government should have handled the issue in a more thoughtful way instead of taking such a drastic step,” said one resident.
The Sitapur operation is the latest in a series of controversial demolitions targeting Muslim religious and community sites across India. In June 2025, authorities in Bahraich district demolished four shrines, including the revered Lakkad Shah Baba site, citing encroachment on forest land.
Earlier, a century-old mosque in Sitapur was bulldozed at night, along with a nearby temple, to make way for a road project.
Beyond Uttar Pradesh, similar drives took place in Uttarakhand, where officials cleared more than 200 mazars (shrines) and 28 temples from forest land, drawing protests from both Muslim and Hindu communities.
Critics argue that demolitions are often directed disproportionately at Muslim sites and carried out without due legal process. “The bulldozers came without any notice. My shop and my livelihood were destroyed in hours,” said Mohammad Aslam, a shopkeeper affected by a similar demolition in Madhya Pradesh.
Others see the practice as a form of collective punishment. “They called our homes illegal, but we’ve lived here for generations. This is punishment for being Muslim,” said Hasan Ali, a resident of Bareilly.
Legal experts have also questioned the approach. “The state is using the law selectively, inflicting severe losses on Muslims—homes, businesses, and sacred spaces—without ensuring due process,” said senior advocate Dushyant Dave.
India’s Supreme Court has warned against extrajudicial demolitions, noting, “Offences by an individual cannot justify bulldozing their family’s shelter.”
Human rights groups share these concerns. “Justice should be applied equally, whether the property belongs to a Hindu or Muslim,” said Zahid Ali Sayyed, whose business was demolished in a similar drive.
Photo: Lakkad Shah Baba shrine, 16th century, before and after demolition in June 2025. Authorities cited forest land encroachment. (Credit: Wikimedia)
