Indian authorities partially raze 185-year-old mosque

A part of a 185-year-old mosque in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh was demolished by authorities who declared it an "encroachment." This follows rising claims by Hindutva groups that several historic mosques were built on the sites of ancient temples.

On November 13, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the use of bulldozers against individuals accused of crimes was unacceptable. 

Yet, just days later, authorities in Fatehpur district proceeded to demolish a portion of the mosque.

The district administration claimed that the demolished part of the mosque was illegal.

The Public Works Department (PWD) stated that a notice was issued on August 17 to remove certain portions of the mosque due to illegal construction.

According to the PWD, mosque officials were given a one-month deadline, which they assured they would meet. 

However, they chose to challenge this order in the Allahabad High Court, where their petition was scheduled to be heard this week.

Muhammad Moin Khan, the trustee of the Noori Mosque's administrative committee, said that the Noori Mosque was built in 1839, and the road here was constructed in 1956. Yet, the PWD is declaring some parts of the mosque illegal.

Earlier, clashes erupted in India's Uttar Pradesh after Hindu right-wing groups filed a petition in a local court claiming that a temple once stood in the place of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal.

During the survey of the site to determine if a temple existed, communal riots occurred, resulting in the deaths of five individuals and injuries to several police officers.

The Supreme Court then stopped the local court from proceeding on the matter.

The Hindu far-right groups have also claimed that Hindu deities are buried under the main historic Jama Masjid in New Delhi.