The recent demolition of the Masjid Akhonji, a centuries-old mosque in New Delhi, has sent shockwaves through India, further highlighting religious tensions and raising concerns about the protection of cultural and religious heritage.
The mosque, believed to be around 600 years old, was razed as part of a broader campaign to remove “illegal” structures from a forest reserve, catching its caretakers off guard. Mohammad Zaffar, a member of the mosque’s managing committee, revealed that the demolition occurred in the dark of the night without any prior notice, leaving the community stunned.
The Masjid Akhonji, not only a place of worship but also a residence for 22 students in an Islamic boarding school, witnessed the desecration of graves within its compound.
Zaffar expressed the distress of the community, stating that copies of the Holy Quran and other religious materials couldn’t be salvaged before the bulldozers moved in. The rubble from both the mosque and the graves was reportedly removed and disposed of elsewhere, erasing traces of a rich historical and cultural legacy.
This incident follows closely on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inauguration of a grand Hindu temple in Ayodhya, constructed on the site where the Babri mosque was demolished in 1992. The Babri mosque’s destruction led to widespread riots, claiming thousands of lives. Hindu activist groups are now targeting the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, claiming it was built over a Hindu temple during the Mughal empire.
The Delhi Development Authority, responsible for these demolitions, has remained silent amid mounting questions. The heavy police presence barricading the area and denying access to the site adds an additional layer of concern, raising questions about transparency and accountability in these actions.
These events have further heightened the anxieties of India’s Muslim minority, numbering around 210 million, as the country grapples with a rising wave of Hindu nationalism. The destruction of historical religious sites, coupled with the contested nature of such actions, underscores the challenges of fostering religious harmony and tolerance in a diverse nation like India.
