Uttarakhand’s 100-year-old shrine vandalised by right-wing mob

Dehradun: The over 100-year-old Syed Baba Bulleshah’s shrine (mazar) was allegedly vandalised by a Hindutva mob having links with the Hindu Raksha Dal in Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie on Saturday night, January 24.

At around 6:45 am on Saturday, January 24, a group of 25 to 30 individuals arrived at the shrine with hammers, damaged structures built around it, and wrecked the property located in the Wynberg Allen Estate in Mussoorie.

A purported video of the incident has been circulating on social media, where the mob can be seen chanting religious slogans like “Jai Shri Ram” while demolishing the shrine. The police have taken the video clip for investigation.

FIR names three individuals involved in the attack

Mussoorie sub-inspector (SI) Satendra Kumar Bhati confirmed that the incident on Saturday, and a First Information Report (FIR) was subsequently filed the following day by Akram Khan.

“A case has been booked against 25 to 30 people under sections 196(1)(b) (Promoting enmity) and 298 (Destroying a place of worship) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” SI Bhati said.

According to the FIR accessed by Siasat.com, Khan alleged that the act was “carried out with the intention of spreading religious tensions.”

He claimed that, in addition to the vandalism, the mob also damaged religious books and someone urinated on the wall of the shrine. Khan further named Hariom, Shivaun, and Shraddha in his written complaint, urging police to take strict action against the individuals.

Mazar Committee claims threats to damage were made before the attack

The Syed Baba Bulleshah Committee, which manages the Sufi poet’s shrine, has also submitted a complaint to the police regarding the incident. The complaint, filed by committee chairman Rajat Agarwal, stated that in addition to damaging the more than 100-year-old shrine located on private land, the donation box, silver crowns, lamps, and other items kept there were also stolen.

According to the complainant, the shrine holds great religious significance for the people of Mussoorie and the surrounding areas, and people from all communities visit it.

The committee alleged that threats to damage the shrine had also been made a few days earlier, demanding that the police take strict action against those responsible for this incident to maintain communal harmony in Mussoorie.

(With PTI inputs)