Uttarakhand didn’t have any mosque till 1985 but has over 2,000 illegal mazars now : Swami Darshan Bharati

On 22^nd May 2022, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed concern over the illegal mazars being built in the mountains. He had announced action against the mazars mushrooming everywhere calling them encroachments. He also described the demographic change taking place in Uttarakhand as a matter of concern while informing about a drive to identify illegal infiltrators and Rohingyas in the State.

Some days ago, some activists of Hindu organisations raised slogans at the mazar next to Kailash Hospital in Dehradun. They alleged that one of the accused, who sold eggs in the street, gradually gathered the entire community near the mazar. The Police had to intervene in the case and the alleged servant of the mazar, originally a resident of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, had to leave the place. Later, the encroachments accumulated there were also removed. However, according to the Police, the mazar is still in the same place.

‘Uttarakhand didn’t have any mosque till 1985 but has more than 2000 illegal Mazars now’: Says Swami Darshan Bharati, holds Congress responsiblehttps://t.co/IAGuF1W66C

— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) May 26, 2022

There was not a single mosque in Uttarakhand before 1985 : Swami Darshan Bharati

Swami Darshan Bharti, a veteran Saint working against illegal mazars and drug addicts, gave some special information while talking to OpIndia about the condition before and now. He said, “Till 1985, there was not a single mosque in Uttarakhand. Here, Muslims are called Maniharis who sell women’s beauty articles. In Almora, a local goldsmith had allowed the first mosque to be built by the Maniharis with compassion. He didn’t know that after that there would be a flood of mosques here. The family members of the goldsmith who showed mercy still live in Dehradun. It would be not fair to mention his name”.

The same claim has been made by Voice for India founder and American activist Renee Linen and some others. According to Swami Darshan Bharati, “Almora was long ago ruled by the King Katyur. He then called some Muslims from Rampur to get some of his work done. Their families were given a place somewhere in the corner to live. Gradually, the population of Muslims increased, and today, many areas have been created where, if you visit, you won’t feel like Uttarakhand. That place will seem like Deoband. Until 1985, these Muslims never talked about the mosque. But now there is fundamentalism. Today they need a mosque first”.

In February 2022, a video of Congress leader Matabar Singh Kandari had gone viral with a promise to give land for the mosque in Rudraprayag.

No new mosque built in the last 7 years

Swami Darshan Bharati claimed that no new mosque has been allowed to come up in Uttarakhand for the last seven years. He said, “No one will dare to make one now. We are taking action on the mazars that have been built. Two mazars have been constructed on the Dehradun-Mussoorie road. They also have to move away. We have stopped the construction of mosques at Joshimath and Karnaprayag. Now the citizens of Uttarakhand are becoming aware of religion. Hindus here had no idea what was happening here”.

About 2,000 illegal mazars on Government lands

Swami Darshan Bharati said, “Today, there are about 2000 illegal mazars across Uttarakhand. These mazars occupy all the Government land. 60 to 70 per cent of the Government lands of Dehradun Municipal Corporation and Zilla Panchayat are occupied by Muslims. Several thousand hectares of land in Azad Nagar Colony of Dehradun are under the illegal occupation of Muslims. Today, several-story high-rise mosques have come upon the lands of the Rispana River. Besides, many madarasas have also been built. This area is Muslim-dominated. Today, the Muslims have reached Joshimath. If this is the case, then in the next 4-5 years, the culture of Devbhoomi will end”.