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Hindu outfit claims abandoned house being used as mosque in Uttarakhand, probe ordered
Hindu outfit Rashtriya Sewa Sangathan has alleged that an abandoned house in Berinag has been unlawfully converted into a mosque for offering Namaz.
An inquiry has been ordered following a protest by members of a Hindu outfit outside the sub-divisional magistrate's office in Berinag of Uttarakhand where they demanded the removal of an “illegal” mosque being run in a residential building.
Protesters alleged that an abandoned house in Berinag had been unlawfully converted into a mosque to offer Namaz inside.
The Hindu outfit, Rashtriya Sewa Sangathan, staged a protest outside the Berinag SDM's office on October 6, alleging that a mosque had been illegally established in an abandoned house and demanding its removal.
An inquiry has been ordered into the allegation after the organisation submitted a memorandum, according to Pithoragarh district magistrate Vinod Girish Goswami.
“We have demanded the removal of the illegal mosque. If it continues to run, we will have to resort to a nationwide agitation against it,” PTI quoted Himanshu Joshi, founder-president of the outfit as saying.
Officials said that a case under section 196/2 of BNS (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion) has also been registered against Rashtriya Sewa Sanghathan members after they showed the mosque live on social media some time ago.
Locals claim that the old house owned by Azim, who resides in Haldwani has been used by around 100 Muslim families for Namaz for the past 25 years.
They also said that part of the house functions as a madrasa. While it appears to be a typical residential home from the outside, they said that it has been converted into a mosque inside.
On September 9, the Sanyukt Sanatan Dharam Rakshak Sangh, an umbrella group of Hindu organisations, submitted a memorandum to Uttarkashi district magistrate Meharban Singh Bisht, demanding the demolition of a mosque.
They alleged that the mosque was built on non-registered land. However, the administration clarified, citing revenue records, that the mosque was not illegal.
