Sikh woman donates land for mosque in Indian Punjab village

A 75-year-old Sikh woman has donated her land for the construction of a mosque In India’s Punjab, while Sikh and Hindu families have contributed financially to the project.

According to Indian media, the incident took place in Jakhwali village, which is predominantly Sikh but also home to Hindu and Muslim families.

While the village has a gurdwara and a temple, the absence of a mosque meant Muslim residents had to travel to a neighbouring village to offer prayers.

The land donor, Bibi Rajinder Kaur, said she decided to give around five marlas of land for the mosque after seeing the difficulties faced by her Muslim neighbours.

Her grandson, Satnam Singh, said Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims have lived together in the village for decades and have consistently supported one another during religious occasions.

Indian media reported that the land, which was registered in Bibi Rajinder Kaur’s name, has been legally transferred to the Muslim committee.

A village panch and family member, Monu Singh, said government land could not be allocated for religious construction, which is why private land was donated.

Mosque committee president Kala Khan expressed gratitude for the gesture, saying relations among different communities were exemplary and that construction of the mosque was expected to be completed by February.

He added that people from all faiths had contributed donations for the mosque, with approximately 350,000 Indian rupees collected so far.