Mehbooba Mufti questions Centre over eviction notice to mosque near PM’s residence

• Mehbooba Mufti has criticised the Centre over an eviction notice served on the Race Course Mosque near the prime minister’s residence

• Officials said the mosque management was given six days to vacate; its water and electricity supplies have also been disconnected

• The land and development office considers the structure an encroachment on Union government land

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday criticised the Centre over an eviction notice issued to the Race Course Mosque near the prime minister’s residence, saying the action showed disregard for the religious sentiments of Indian Muslims.

In a post on X, Mufti contrasted the government’s appreciation of mosques and Islamic heritage during visits to Muslim countries with its treatment of the Delhi mosque, which she described as a 120-year-old heritage structure.

She questioned how expressions of respect for Islamic traditions overseas could be reconciled with an eviction notice that, in her view, threatened the mosque’s existence.

Authorities have also disconnected the mosque’s water and electricity supplies.

According to officials, the mosque management received the notice around 19 October and was allowed six days to vacate the premises.

The notice identified the site as land belonging to the Land and Development Office (LDO), which comes under the Union government, and warned against unauthorised occupation and construction.

The LDO’s position is that the mosque stands on government land and constitutes an encroachment.

Mufti, however, framed the action as a question of religious sensitivity, arguing that the government’s approach at home contradicted the respect it projected for Muslim places of worship abroad.

With PTI inputs