Shafaqna English–Protests flare in Old Delhi over demolition of historic mosque.
India’s capital was gripped by tension on Wednesday after municipal authorities began tearing down structures near a century-old mosque, alleging encroachment.
Residents protesting the demolition drive around Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid in Old Delhi’s Turkman Gate area allegedly threw stones at police personnel, injuring at least five. Police, in turn, fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.
While authorities claimed that several structures in the area were illegal, the mosque management said that they were built on Muslim charitable land governed by Muslim personal law.
Indian authorities are routinely accused of bulldozing Muslim homes, businesses and places of worship on flimsy legal grounds, especially in states ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP party.