DEHRADUN: A grave mistake by the district administration of Uttarkashi has paved the way for Hindu outfits to demand the removal of a mosque in the region, deeming it illegal.
The border district of Uttarkashi has been witnessing protests by Hindu organisations demanding the demolition of a mosque in the Badaahat area, that they claimed was built illegally. The situation further escalated when the district administration provided incomplete information about the mosque under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
In an RTI response to a query by a Hindu organisation activist in August, the District Public Information Officer stated that 'no records of free-hold or lease allotment of land in the name of the mosque were found in the office.'
However, following this the demands for the demolition of the mosque intensified and subsequently, the district administration deemed its previous response on the mosque's legitimacy as incomplete and offered to provide detailed information to the Hindu organization's RTI activist, according to sources.
The district administration then dug out its own documents, revealing that the land on which the mosque stands is indeed registered in the names of account holders.
Uttarkashi District Magistrate Dr Mehrban Singh Bisht stated, "The land occupied by the mosque has a legitimate registration and mutation record, listing ten account holders. Notably, the then Tehsildar of Bhatwari had also formally recognized the mosque's presence on the same land in a 2005 order."
"The Badaahat Mosque in Uttarkashi was registered under the Uttar Pradesh Muslim Waqf Act on May 20, 1987, and is listed in the Sunni Waqf schedule. The land and the mosque are entirely legal and not unauthorized in any way," said Ishitiyaq Ahmed, a resident of the area.
Speaking to TNIE, Uttarkashi's Superintendent of Police Amit Shrivastava stated, "The law and order situation is completely normal and under control. The issue related to the RTI query falls under the jurisdiction of the district administration, and thus, will be resolved at that level."
In a significant development, the Muslim community on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate, urging authorities to take stern action against individuals perpetuating unrest and disrupting the city's peace and harmony, based on unsubstantiated documentary claims.