Rudrapur, Uttarakhand — In a move that has triggered strong reactions online and among locals, a dargah (mazaar) was razed to the ground by authorities in the early hours of Tuesday, April 22, as part of a purported ‘highway widening project’ in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, reported the Siasat.
A video of the demolition, which took place around 3 am, shows a bulldozer bringing down the dome of the structure under the cover of darkness. According to the local administration, the dargah was constructed on encroached government land, and a prior notice for its removal had been served to the concerned parties.
The timing and manner of the demolition, however, have raised eyebrows, with many questioning the necessity of such an operation in the dead of night.
This incident comes close on the heels of another controversial demolition in Haryana’s Faridabad, where Aqsa Masjid, a 50-year-old mosque with a case still pending before the Supreme Court, was demolished by the municipal corporation on April 15 amid heavy police deployment. Local residents expressed anger over the action, accusing authorities of acting in undue haste and targeting religious sites without due process.
Both incidents have fueled fears of selective targeting of Muslim religious structures under the pretext of encroachment and development, drawing condemnation from rights groups and community leaders.
