AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), a prominent Muslim organisation, has expressed concern over demolition drives targeting mosques and residential settlements in several states. The drives, it said, were “politically motivated” and carried out without following due legal process. Communal targeting and the demolition of mosques are a national disgrace, the organisation maintained.
It alleged that demolitions in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and New Delhi disproportionately targeted a particular community. JIH also expressed concern over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
At a press conference here on Saturday, senior leaders of the organisation also highlighted concerns over the growing menace of corruption and the emerging challenges confronting the country’s democratic institutions.
The organisation’s National Secretary, Shafi Madni, informed the media that a high-level JIH delegation visited Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur from June 29 to July 2. The delegation assessed the ground situation, met affected families, and interacted with local community representatives, legal experts and civil society members to understand the nature of the administrative action.
Shafi Madni, who led the delegation, strongly condemned the increasing demolition of mosques, residential settlements and vulnerable localities in different parts of the country. Shafi Madni said, “Recent incidents in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi and other states have highlighted a disturbing pattern in which demolition drives are increasingly affecting mosques, homes and economically weaker communities. Within the past month alone, several mosques were demolished or partially removed during anti-encroachment and infrastructure drives, while in Rajasthan’s border districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner, administrative operations in the name of security have resulted in the demolition of mosques, dargahs and madrasas, creating widespread concern among local residents.
He said, “The delegation found several instances where due legal procedure was not followed, unilateral action had been taken, and even religious structures situated on privately owned land had reportedly been demolished. The delegation also expressed serious concern over the selective and discriminatory targeting of Muslim religious structures, including mosques and dargahs, while places of worship belonging to other communities in the same area, despite facing similar issues, remained untouched.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Vice President, Prof Salim Engineer expressed deep concern over the growing instances of corruption and financial irregularities being reported from different parts of the country. Prof Engineer said, “Recent allegations of corruption against ministers, senior government officials and other influential public figures point towards a deeper crisis of ethics, governance and institutional accountability. Corruption is no longer confined to politics, bureaucracy or business but has now reached institutions that command the faith and reverence of millions of people. Such incidents expose not only serious weaknesses in our systems of accountability, transparency and regulation but also a deeper moral crisis confronting society.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, he said, believes that India requires both structural reforms and a moral reawakening. Public life can be purified only when integrity, accountability and fear of God become the guiding principles of both our personal and public lives, he added.
Addressing the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, Prof Engineer expressed serious concern over the implementation of the exercise in Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Meghalaya. He said, “The right to vote is one of the pillars of India’s democratic framework, and any exercise relating to electoral rolls must be conducted with the highest standards of transparency, fairness and inclusiveness.” While maintaining accurate electoral rolls is essential for strengthening democracy, the process must ensure that no eligible citizen is deprived of this constitutional right due to procedural shortcomings or administrative lapses, he said.
Speaking on the growing challenges to Indian democracy, Prof Salim Engineer said, “Recent political developments in states such as Maharashtra, Jharkhand and West Bengal have renewed concerns regarding defections secured through pressure, attempts to alter legislative majorities through post-election political realignments, political instability, and allegations of intimidation of elected representatives and opposition workers. Such developments create the impression that electoral mandates can be reshaped after elections through means other than the democratic verdict of the people. Equally disturbing are the increasing allegations regarding the selective use of investigative and enforcement agencies against political opponents, particularly during politically sensitive periods.”
The Jamaat official said another disturbing trend is the steady deterioration of public discourse. “Reasoned debate is increasingly being replaced by polarisation, misinformation, personal attacks, hate-filled rhetoric, and attempts to delegitimise political opponents, journalists, academics and civil society organisations,” he said.
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