Brahmpuri mosque expansion causes row | Latest News Delhi

Construction work to expand a mosque in Brahmpuri in north-east Delhi and to open a gate into the lane housing a small temple just 15 feet away has triggered unrest among the Muslim and Hindu residents of the area, forcing police to remain alert and deploy more personnel there to ensure that the discord does not snowball into a repeat of the communal riots witnessed by those neighbourhoods in 2020.

Around 15 Hindu families living in Brahmpuri’s Gali Number-12 — to which another gate of Al Mateen Masjid was proposed to be opened by the mosque’s managing committee — have put up “property up for sale” posters at their houses after accusing the local Muslim population of causing them trouble. They alleged that they were being forced to vacate their houses with an intent to change the demography of the neighbourhood.

The Muslim population, on the other hand, blamed some politically motivated Hindu residents and outsiders, including members of right-wing outfits, of “deliberately disturbing” the neighbourhood’s communal harmony by portraying the mosque’s construction activity in the wrong light.

They alleged that some right-wing politicians were trying to “flare up a trivial issue” ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in Delhi, as Muslims are considered the core voters of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress.

“Hindus and Muslims have lived in the neighbourhoods of Brahmpuri and Seelampur in harmony for decades. We celebrated each other’s festivals and remained together in happiness and sorrow. But things have changed in the last decade. The bitterness between the communities has been increasing rapidly. It’s all because of some politicians, who divide us to polarise votes and win elections,” said 86-year-old Haji Abdul Qadir, living adjacent to the mosque in Gali Number-13.

Praveen Sharma, a 40-year-old resident of Gali Number-12, who has also put up a “house is up for sale” poster, said their decision to vacate the locality was driven by multiple problems that they have been facing due to the growing Muslim population in the locality.

“The main Seelampur-Brahmpuri Road is around 200 metres from our house and for decades, we have been using a lane to reach there. However, in the past one decade, nearly 20% of the Hindu properties in that lane have been purchased by Muslims. Among those properties was a building that was converted into a mosque in 2013. Muslim youth often trouble our women and girls by passing lewd remarks on them. Because of that, we have stopped using the lane to reach the main road,” said Sharma.

Another Hindu resident, Shankar Lal Gautam,48, said the problem aggravated in the past two years when a 150 square yard property belonging to a Hindu family in the rear of the mosque was sold to six Muslim buyers and they gifted the property to the mosque committee.

The committee started construction to expand the mosque in November 2023, but it was stopped immediately when some locals informed the police about the “illegal construction”. The committee then secured construction permission from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in November 2024, and resumed work.

“We objected to the construction when we learnt that they planned to open a new gate towards the Shiva temple in Gali Number-12. That would create problems for Hindu devotees visiting the temple and celebrating festivals. Moreover, the MCD granted permission for building a house and not expanding the mosque. Our protest was aimed to prevent a future communal confrontation owing to the proximity of the mosque and the temple,” said Gautam.

Mohammad Ifran,29, who is associated with the mosque committee, said, “It’s true that we had planned to open a new gate towards the lane with the temple. But when Hindu residents protested, we held a meeting with their representatives, and it was unanimously decided that the gate will not be opened towards Gali Number-12. We have also put up boards, mentioning that we are not opening the gate. However, some right-wingers have been trying to give it a communal colour and disturb the peace in our neighbourhood. No construction is happening since the past few days.”

On Tuesday, police received a complaint signed by 21 Hindu residents, alleging stone pelting on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, said deputy commissioner of police (north-east) Ashish Kumar Mishra.

“We checked CCTV footage, but it did not corroborate the allegations of stone pelting and ruckus. The construction activity was stopped after the MCD issued a show-cause notice to Al Mateen Society on February 18. Continuous police patrolling is being carried out to maintain law and order,” said Mishra.

An MCD official confirmed that they have issued a notice to the mosque committee to stop work. “The construction is not legitimate as the permission/sanction plan was obtained under “Saral Scheme” through material misrepresentation and concealment of facts. A show cause notice was issued and on the basis of the reply furnished and other facts on record, the permission/sanction plan has been cancelled,” said a municipal official, asking not to be named.