Historic mosque near Modi’s residence in India gets six-day eviction notice

A historic mosque near Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence in New Delhi has reportedly been served an eviction notice, with the Land and Development Office (L&DO) declaring the premises “unauthorised” and ordering it to be vacated within six days.

The notice was issued on Monday, according to The Tribune. The Race Course mosque is listed as a heritage property on the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) website.

Its electricity and water supplies were disconnected on October 7, raising concerns over access to the place of worship. The L&DO maintains that the mosque stands on government land, while the site’s heritage status has also come under scrutiny in the dispute.

The Delhi High Court allowed civic authorities to proceed with evictions in the area while directing that residents be provided with education, transport and sanitation facilities at Savda Ghevra, a resettlement colony about 45km away where they are to be relocated.

The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has sought the intervention of Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to protect the mosque and an adjoining graveyard.

Mohammad Hakimuddin Qasmi, representing a delegation from the organisation, submitted a memorandum stating that the site appears on the NDMC heritage list referenced in the 1977 Delhi Gazette and in a revised list maintained by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

The organisation has also sought reports from the Delhi Waqf Board and the NDMC and urged the authorities to refrain from demolition until the legal dispute is resolved. According to The Tribune, Rijiju heard the delegation’s appeal and assured it that he would make “every possible effort” to address the matter.

Mohammed Harun, the mosque’s imam, alleged that the Delhi Waqf Board had failed to take effective action despite his repeated appeals over the past six months.

In a video statement reported by The Hindustan Gazette, Harun said the board had done little beyond writing to the NDMC about the disconnection of water and electricity supplies.

“I have made frequent requests to the CEO [of the Waqf Board], but no attention was paid to my complaint. Even drinking water has come to an end. Water cannot be fetched from anywhere as the way to the mosque has been blocked, creating a lot of trouble in coming and going to and from the mosque,” he said.

Harun said he had urged the board to approach the court over the matter and later sought permission to do so himself. However, he alleged, the board neither initiated legal proceedings nor allowed him to approach the court.

He also maintained that the mosque was an authorised heritage property and said a survey conducted in 2021 had not classified it as “unauthorised” or an “encroachment”. These claims have not been independently verified.

“I appeal to our well-wishers and justice-loving people to kindly make efforts to save this mosque. I have put in all my efforts but I’m miserable as the Waqf Board, which has legal authority to deal with such cases, is not standing by me and this mosque,” he said.

The dispute comes as authorities pursue other eviction proceedings in the area around the prime minister’s residence, including the removal of slum dwellers from Race Course Road.

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This article was originally published in The Wire. It is republished here under special arrangement and with stylistic changes.