Tensions have escalated in the village of Mohammadganj, Bareilly, following the controversial conversion of a private residence into a site for collective Muslim prayers, leading to complaints from the Hindu community and police intervention.
In Bareilly's Mohammadganj village, a dispute emerged after a group prayer was held on January 17 in the home of Haseen Miyan. Following this, police summoned 12 individuals for troubling the peace, prompting the Muslim side to approach the High Court. Despite ongoing legal proceedings, a second prayer gathering occurred on February 14 at the same location, heightening tensions. The Hindu community asserts that no temples or mosques have ever existed in the village, and they feel pressured by the establishment of new religious practices that contradict the historical status quo.
Local residents recall that a decades-old agreement in Mohammadganj dictated that neither temples nor mosques would be built in the area, ensuring peace among different communities. Under this understanding, villagers had consistently conducted their religious observances in their homes. The Hindu faction claims that the recent setup of Haseen Miyan's residence as an unofficial mosque violates this agreement and introduces a new tradition that challenges their long-standing customs and peace, igniting fears of further communal discord.
Authorities including police and administrative teams have intervened to mediate between both sides, attempting to defuse the situation. However, the conflict raises broader concerns about religious coexistence and tolerance in a region already marked by communal sensitivities, with implications for inter-community relations in Uttar Pradesh and beyond.
