By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 23 Sep: Acting on a directive of the Supreme Court, officials of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, assisted by Dehradun police personnel, today sealed a religious structure known locally as “Van Masjid” situated in the Asarodi forest area on the Uttarakhand–UP border. The apex court’s order came in response to a petition related to the legality of the structure, which forest authorities had earlier identified as unauthorised and in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Soon after the order was pronounced, a joint team of forest and police officials reached the site and locked down the premises, directing that the status quo be maintained. The Police cordoned off the approach road while forest staff affixed official notices on the doors of the structure before sealing the disputed structure.
On the other hand, this swift enforcement has stirred considerable debate, and some Muslim organisations have questioned the action. Several independent organisations hailed the move as long overdue for the protection of forest land.
According to forest sources, the building was originally a shrine (mazaar) which was later converted into a mosque. It is worth noting that the Rajaji Tiger Reserve administration had earlier served a notice on the mosque committee, pointing out that the structure was located in the core zone of the reserve where all construction is prohibited. The notice cited provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act and the Indian Forest Act, asking the committee to produce land-related documents within ten days, failing which the structure would be demolished. It categorically stated that the Park authorities would not be held responsible for the consequences of removal. Sources claim that those managing this disputed structure have failed to produce any documents claiming ownership.
It may also be worth sharing here that some organisations related to the Muslims, including the Muslim Seva Sangathan and a few allied organisations have claimed that the mosque had existed even before the establishment of the reserve. This claim, however, has been met with scepticism by officials and conservation groups, who point out that over the past two decades hundreds of unauthorised mazaars, mosques and related structures have mushroomed within forests and even reserved forests across Uttarakhand, often under the very nose of the forest department. The department, accused of looking the other way or acting only after public or judicial intervention, has been criticised for allowing encroachments to take root in ecologically sensitive areas. In the present case too, questions are being raised as to why the structure was permitted to remain for years without action until the matter reached the Supreme Court.
Forest authorities maintain that no documentary proof of legal ownership has ever been submitted by the committee in Asarodi. They further underline that, under the law, no new religious or other construction can be permitted inside a notified reserve as private ownership is not permitted. Today’s sealing action, they asserted is not a discretionary step but strict compliance with the apex court’s directive after petitioners sought judicial intervention against demolition notices.
It may be recalled that Pushkar Singh Dhami government has intensified its campaign against illegal encroachments across the state. the official records state that 552 unauthorised shrines have been demolished, 242 madrassas sealed, and more than 9,000 acres of government land reclaimed in recent months. These actions have been projected by the government as part of a drive against “land jihad”.
With the Supreme Court now directly monitoring the matter, the sealed mosque in Asarodi remains under lock and key, with authorities reiterating that no activity of any sort will be permitted there until the court delivers a final verdict. Meanwhile, the question remains how in the protected forests in Uttarakhand hundreds of such unauthorised religious structures have been allowed to come up for years even as the forest department remained oblivious to the development.
