Imam Mohammed Haroon broke down in prayer during Jummah at New Delhi’s century-old Race Course mosque on Friday (October 23), appealing to Allah for help as the religious site faces the threat of demolition.

“Oh Allah, please help us. You are our only hope. Our faith is being tested,” the elderly imam said, according to a report by Indian newspaper The Siasat Daily.

Footage of the prayers shows worshippers standing alongside the imam as they pray for the mosque’s preservation and the restoration of their dignity.

The mosque, a Grade II heritage structure notified in 2009, is situated inside the Race Course Club, near Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence. The club occupies around 53 acres, and the premises, along with nearby slums, are being cleared following several rounds of litigation.

The central government has cited “national security” as the reason for taking possession of the area.

Security personnel have been deployed behind barricades erected overnight, while entry has been restricted, particularly for media personnel. A notice put up by the Land and Development Office (L&DO) declares the land to be the property of the Central government and warns that any action against it would constitute “encroachment”.

Haroon said L&DO officials had served him an eviction notice, giving him six days to vacate the premises.

“They have given six days to vacate the premises. They said if I failed, they will initiate legal action against me,” he said.

The mosque’s water and electricity connections were disconnected on October 7. On October 15, the Delhi High Court declined to direct the restoration of the services.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) told the court that demolition work, including the removal of jhuggis, was continuing and that “there is an element of public harm involved”. It also argued that the L&DO, which is supervising the demolition and will take possession of the land, had not been made a party to the petition.

Registered with the Delhi Waqf Board, the mosque can accommodate 800 worshippers.

The High Court observed that the Delhi Waqf Board, which it identified as the “original occupant” of the premises, had not challenged the disconnection of the utilities. The court also held that Haroon, who was appointed by the Board, had no right to the premises and therefore could not claim that the disconnection infringed his fundamental rights.

Amid growing national attention over the proposed demolition, Asaduddin Owaisi, president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), has urged Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to intervene urgently.

Owaisi said the minister had a responsibility to resolve the matter, pointing to the Delhi Waqf Board’s lack of a constituted body since 2023.

“You hold responsibility for resolving the issue, as the Delhi Waqf Board has remained unconstituted since 2023. The CEO of the Board could have intervened; that also did not happen,” Owaisi said.