286 ‘illegal’ mosques, madrasas, shrines, eidgahs bulldozed in India

The government of Uttar Pradesh, India, carried out a major crackdown on Muslim religious structures and alleged encroachments in districts bordering Nepal on Wednesday, labeling them as illegal, according to an official statement.

Bulldozers rolled into Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Pilibhit as part of the ongoing drive, the statement said.

On Wednesday alone, demolitions were carried out at two sites in Maharajganj and one site each in Shravasti and Bahraich.

So far, authorities have taken action against 225 illegal madrasas, 30 mosques, 25 shrines (mazars), and six eidgahs located within 10 km of the Indo-Nepal border, according to the statement.

In Maharajganj, two illegal madrasas in Semrahani village (Farenda tehsil) and Jugouli village (Nautanwa tehsil) were demolished.

In Shravasti, an unauthorised madrasa built on government land in Kaleempurwa (Bhinga tehsil) was razed. Meanwhile, in Bahraich, a shrine illegally occupying forest land was removed.

Source: NDTV