A local government administration in Uttar Pradesh has been accused of filing a “false and unfounded” police report against eight Muslim leaders who had opposed the “illegal” demolition of their mosque, in a case filed in an Indian court. In a petition filed at Allahabad high court published on Tuesday, representatives for the mosque administration alleged that a “false and unfounded” police report had been made against the Muslim leaders. The local administration that ordered the mosque to be flattened on 17 May had called it an “illegal structure” intruding on government land. The Uttar Pradesh government is ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) which also controls the central government. The demolition followed weeks of harassment by the Barabanki administration against the mosque committee and Muslims who worshipped there.

Source: The Guardian June 01, 2021 11:50 UTC