New Delhi: Violent clashes broke out in Jammu’s Kathua district on Saturday, June 29, after local administration officials attempted to raze to the ground a mosque allegedly built on public land in a Muslim-majority area, prompting the political parties to demand a probe.
A deputy superintendent of J&K police is among the six police officials who were injured when the residents of Nagri locality clashed with the demolition squad, prompting the administration to deploy additional reinforcements in the area. A woman officer was among the injured as well.
Contradictions
Witnesses said that a posse of police personnel along with the district administration officials of Kathua arrived in Nagri locality along with three to four bulldozers at around 6 am on Saturday to tear down a mosque and other structure allegedly built on government land.
Locals said that the mosque was built some eight to 10 years ago and it was recently renovated. However, some reports said that it was recently constructed.
While the officials said that the mosque was built on public land, locals of Nagri said that the administration didn’t take their elders into confidence before taking the drastic move, which sparked anger among the villagers.
“After hearing the news of impending demolition, local residents, including women and elderly, came out of their homes. Initially, they urged the demolition squad to stop the drive while putting themselves in the way of the bulldozer. However, the officials didn’t relent,” said a local, who didn’t want to be named.
‘Mob had stones, canes’
Officials said that the locals resorted to heavy stone pelting on the demolition squad during which the DSP (Kathua headquarters), who could not be immediately identified, and five other police officials suffered injuries, prompting the security personnel to resort to aerial firing and teargas shelling to disperse the mob.
“The mob was armed with stones and canes and it chased the demolition squad. The DSP was hit on the head,” said an official, adding that heavy stone pelting also forced the demolition squad to suspend their drive while the injured were rushed to Kathua district hospital for treatment.
“Additional police and paramilitary forces led by senior superintendent of Kathua police were rushed to the area to bring the situation under control,” a senior administration official said, adding that the bulldozers and some official vehicles were also damaged during stone pelting.
The intensity of the clashes was visible in some videos shot at the site of clashes between the two sides which showed shards of broken glass of bulldozers abandoned by their drivers. In one video, locals of Nagri could be seen showing the teargas canisters which were shot by security forces to control the violence.
The Wire has reached out to Kathua deputy commissioner Rakesh Minhas for comment about the demolition drive. This story will be updated as and when his response is received. In a post on X, Minhas said that the demolition drive was initiated after locals ignored multiple notices. “Let’s work together to combat illegal constructions and maintain peace. No to misinformation, yes to the rule of law,” he posted.
‘Why has just one place of worship been targeted?’
However, accusing the government of selectively targeting Muslims, Syed Chaudhary, president of Dodhi Gujjar Association, Jammu and Kashmir, claimed that the district administration didn’t give any notice to the locals prior to the demolition.
“They could have talked to our elders before taking such a drastic step. Hundreds of mosques, temples and gurudwaras in Jammu were built on public land. Why has just one place of worship been targeted? This is an attack on our community and we won’t allow it,” he said, alleging that security personnel had committed desecration by entering the mosque wearing their shoes.
There are thousands of structures on state land, but the govt is specifically targeting a mosque for demolition, which was built twelve years ago. BJP Ministers are building their houses on state land, but the govt has chosen to demolish a mosque in the Nagri area of Kathua. pic.twitter.com/SizpW9bYxi
— Amir عامر (@Amirchoudhary__) June 29, 2024
Chaudhary, a dairy farmer, claimed that Kathua’s minorities are being selectively targeted and their places of worship attacked by the Jammu and Kashmir administration, headed by the Union home ministry since 2018, when the PDP-BJP coalition government collapsed and central rule was clamped in the former state.
“This official hooliganism should end,” Chaudhary said, while claiming that the land parcel on which the mosque has been built was owned by J&K’s custodian department which has been leased out. The Wire could not immediately verify his claims.
Condemnation from mainstream parties
Condemning the police action, the National Conference led by Farooq Abdullah urged the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to order a “thorough investigation into this incident” while urging the locals to maintain calm and composure”.
“The JKNC strongly advises the administration against targeting any religious, caste, or community group. The principles of our secular nation have been upheld for generations, and such actions are a blatant disregard for these values. The selective targeting of Masjids raises serious concerns about possible polarization before elections,” the party said.
J&K Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari also condemned the “attempt to demolish a mosque” and “the desecration of holy books at Gujjar Basti Nagri”.
“This incident has deeply upset the Muslim community and threatens the peaceful environment in Jammu and Kashmir during the Amarnath Ji pilgrimage. I warn the administration to desist from such acts against any religion, caste, or creed. Our secular nation has maintained its principles for generations. The administration should have pursued legal measures instead of desecrating a religious site. I urge L-G Manoj Sinha Ji to conduct a thorough investigation,” he said on X.
