Muslim gullies and places of worship in Varanasi are under a fervent combing operation by the Hindutva extremists to ‘discover’ Shiv lings and statue remnants.

Ajay Sharma of the Sanatan Raksha Dal, an offshoot of the Kendriya Brahmin Mahasabha, who has ‘discovered’ a neglected temple in Madanpura, a Muslim-majority area in Varanasi, has already declared that there are temples and idols inside Muslim houses as well, and will dig all of them out. Hindutva Brigade has threatened those who don’t comply with “But if you don’t listen, you’ll see rudra (awe-evoking) avatar too. They had removed Sai Baba idols from at least 10 temples for reasons of religious purity. Since 2019, they claim to have ‘found’ around 50 temples in the city.

Hindutva Brigade estimates about 25 mosques, eidgahs, and other Muslim shrines in Varanasi could be contested as former temple sites. They identifie 15 historical mosques in the city, alongside more than 1,300 Muslim religious places and over 3,300 Hindu temples. The digging drive that attained momentum after the Babri Masjid verdict, was propelled by the observation of the former CJI that demands for religious site surveys don’t violate the Places of Worship Act. Scores of petitions for surveys of numerous Muslim places of worship have been filed and more are in the pipeline awaiting revocation of the temporary stay by the Hon’ble Supreme Court to halt the surveys.

Mohammad Shafi National Vice President