Bajrang Dal Activists Force Stop Mosque Repair Work in India

Right-wing activists from the Bajrang Dal, led by Vikas Verma, forcibly halted the roof repair work of a mosque in the Sevla Kalan area of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The activists claimed that the mosque is illegally constructed in a Hindu-majority neighborhood and encroaches upon public road space. Standing alongside officials from local civic bodies and the police, the group demanded a full investigation into the property and called for the immediate demolition of any illegal structure.

Rejecting all allegations, representatives of the mosque management committee maintained that the structure fully complies with legal standards and regulations. Naeem Qureshi and Aqib Qureshi, leaders of the Muslim Seva Sangathan, clarified that no new construction was taking place and that workers were merely fixing roof seepage on the third floor. They described the accusations as entirely baseless, asserting, ‘The mosque has been constructed entirely in compliance with legal procedures and government regulations’.

This confrontation adds to a growing series of restrictive actions targeting mosques across the Dehradun district in recent months. Earlier, the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority sealed a mosque in Thano village following demands by Kalasena chief Bhupesh Joshi, who objected to its proximity to a local temple. Although Muslim residents highlighted that the mosque had operated since 1978 with valid land ownership documents, local authorities sealed the entire premises over an unapproved room layout.

Following the sealing of the Thano mosque, members of Kalasena celebrated by performing a religious ritual outside the structure. Mosque Imam Yasir Arafat voiced distress over the closure, stating that the entire site was shut down under the pretext of lacking an approved map for a single room built by the state’s Minority Welfare Department. Local news outlets reported that this instance marked the fifth mosque to face official shutdown in the surrounding area.

These targeted drives coincide with broader measures by the Uttarakhand government to assert tighter administrative control over religious minority institutions. State authorities recently repealed the Madrasa Act to establish a unified authority and curriculum for minority schools, framed as an effort to enforce regulations and upgrade educational standards. However, critics argue that these state policies, combined with persistent campaigns by right-wing groups, place immense pressure on local Muslim communities.