Mosque constructed illegally on land allotted for a Hindu temple

Case ID : b45f46b | Location : Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Thu, 26 September, 2024
Case ID : b45f46b
location Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
date 26 September, 2024
Mosque constructed illegally on land allotted for a Hindu temple
Attack on Hindu religious representations
Encroachment or illicit takeover of temple land/land near temple

Case Summary

In Jabalpur, workers from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal gathered in large numbers to protest the mosque spanning 3,000 square feet built on the disputed site at Gayatri Mandir. According to the Hindu activists, the mosque was built on the grounds of a Hindu religious place. They added that the government had provided the mosque with water and electrical connections as a sizable number of Muslims from all across the city had been gathering covertly at the mosque. The demonstrators challenged the structure on the temple’s property and presented supporting documentation. The Hindu groups have repeatedly protested at the place to oppose the illicit mosque.

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack on Hindu religious representations and within this, the sub-category selected is- Encroachment or illicit takeover of temple land/land near temple. In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Not only the Temple but the Temple premises in its entirety are considered sacred by Hindus. In several cases, the premises of the Temple and/or religious centre are illicitly taken over by institutions belonging to other faiths – like the Waqf board or the Church. Other times, the temple property, land or the property of religious centres are illicitly encroached by non-Hindu groups. Any illicit take over or encroachment is a crime an initio, however, when non-Hindu groups illicitly take over or encroach the sacred land of Hindus, it is an affront to the Hindu community and is therefore classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. This case qualifies as a religiously motivated hate crime under the above-mentioned category due to the unlawful construction of a mosque on land that belongs to a Hindu religious site, Gayatri Mandir. The mosque’s illegal construction on temple property reflects a deliberate attempt to undermine and infringe upon the religious and cultural significance of the site for Hindus. It is important to note that the Hindu organizations presented evidence supporting their claims that the mosque was built on temple land. The activists also raised concerns about covert gatherings of Muslims at the mosque, which can be seen as an obvious attempt to alter the demographic and religious landscape of the area. This act of encroachment, backed by the evidence presented by Hindu groups, reflects a broader pattern of hostility toward Hindu religious spaces and practices, making it a religiously motivated hate crime.

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Case Status


Complaint filed

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Perpetrators Details

Perpetrators


Muslim Extremists

Perpetrators Range


Unknown

Perpetrators Gender


unknown

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