In North Delhi’s Brahmpuri neighbourhood, several Hindu residents of Gali No. 12 are planning to move out of the area and have put up for-sale signs outside their houses. The reason: A contentious expansion and new entrance of the nearby Al Mateen Masjid.
Hindu locals say they are fearing unrest, much like the 2020 Delhi riots, after the construction of the entrance was halted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi last month. While local BJP leaders allege that “Muslims in the area have been harassing Hindus” and an exodus is taking place, Muslim residents believe that panic is unfounded and is caused by “outside forces”, including certain media outlets.
BJP MLA Ravi Negi also visited Brahmpuri on Friday and removed all the for-sale posters while assuring residents of swift legal action to seal off the part of the mosque land facing local opposition.
Newslaundry had earlier reported how similar posters had appeared in the neighbourhood in the name of one lawyer in 2023. However, unlike that year, the flare-up this time has seen crowds mobilised by politicians and the deployment of police amid tension.
Here’s how it all unfolded this time.
Chronology of a U-turn and complaints about construction
The Al Mateen Masjid in Seelampuri’s Brahmapuri was built in 2013 and is located a few metres away from a Shiv temple in Gali No. 12. Even though both places of worship receive a considerable footfall of devotees, residents have reported no disputes between the two religious communities in the past. In 2023, trustees of the Al Mateen Mosque Welfare Society bought an adjacent plot in Gali No. 12 and sought permission to expand the mosque and build a new entrance under the Saral Scheme. This scheme, introduced under the modified Unified Building Bye-laws of 2016, simplifies the approval process for building plans of small residential plots up to 105 sqm.
Following the approval, work stopped after the locals called the police and claimed the construction was illegal. The Al Mateen Mosque’s Welfare Society approached the MCD, which granted them permission on November 23, 2024, to expand the mosque structure and build another entrance.
When construction resumed in February this year, residents led by the Jan Sahyog Vikas Samiti, an organisation working on Brahmpuri’s civic issues, filed a complaint on February 13 with the MCD alleging violations of the Unified Building Bye Laws of Delhi 2016 under the Saral Scheme. On February 18, 2025, the MCD issued a show-cause notice to the mosque and subsequently halted the construction work. Despite this, residents of Gali No. 12 remain on high alert, with around 15 houses in the area that have posters on their doors stating, “Yeh ghar bikau hain” (This house is for sale).
Speaking to Newslaundry, the DC of North Shahdara Zone said that the construction was halted because the permit for the expansion was obtained under the Saral Scheme through material misrepresentation and concealment of facts. We asked why there was a U-turn at play – when the MCD had previously given a written approval and later revoked it. To this, they said that there has been no U-turn. When probed further, they refused to comment.
The showcause listed three reasons for revoking the permit: the architect failed to upload the ownership document, the layout plan was unclear, the licenses of the structural engineer and supervisor had expired before submission. All of these are violations under the Unified Building Bye Laws of Delhi 2016.
Hate speeches, no stone-pelting
When Pandit Shankar Lal, a resident of Gali No. 13 in Seelampur’s Brahmapuri neighbourhood, heard that construction to expand the Al Mateen Mosque had resumed on February 13, 2024, he got into action. President of the Jan Sahyog Vikas Samiti, Lal, along with other residents of Gali No. 12, came together to oppose the construction. Lal has previously also served as the Seelampur President of the United Hindu Front, as well as the Vice President of BJP’s Kisan Morcha (the party’s farmer wing) Uttar Purvi Zila from 2022-2023.
Their main concern: How can a mosque’s entrance face a temple?
The Shiv Mandir in question, built in 1984, is frequented by women from the Hindu community. Residents say they will feel unsafe if the entrance faces them. “Men will come from this gate to offer namaz. Anything can happen,” claimed Sunita Sharma, a resident of Gali No. 10 who frequents the temple.
Newslaundry asked Anil Gaur, the Municipal Councillor of the area, and a BJP politician who lost the assembly elections from Seelampur constituency, if he’s taken any steps to address the concerns of residents after the MCD halted construction. “Even if the construction has been halted now, there is no guarantee that they will start again. There have been incidents of stone pelting in the area. Kids are tearing posters that people put up on their houses. The Muslim community is harassing the Hindus. We want to seal the property altogether,” he claimed.
The SHO of New Usmanpur, however, has denied any incident of stone-pelting taking place in the area.
Following allegations of stone-pelting, Jay Bhagwan Goyal, a BJP politician, national president of the Rashtrawadi Shiv Sena, and International Working President of the United Hindu Front, held an event on March 3 to address the alleged Hindu migration that is taking place in the area – he has made several hate speeches in the past. Lal was also an organiser of the event as per the event poster. He has, however, denied his involvement.
“The mosque has been built by foreign money to displace Hindus. Residents are worried. I have asked them not to be. It’s Modiji’s government, Delhi has BJP government, puri prashasan tumhare sath hain,” he stated at the event.
Speaking to Newslaundry, Seelampur AAP MLA Chaudhary Zubair Ahmed alleged the involvement of BJP forces to create a communal divide in the otherwise “peaceful neighbourhood”.
Mohammad Imran, a resident of Brahmpuri, told Newslaundry that the claims of harassment are unfounded. “We live very peacefully here, and the issue at hand has been resolved. After the community objected and received the MCD’s order, work stopped here. We have even put up a poster here that says, “Yahan koi gate nahi banegi” (There will be no gate constructed here). He said the media is creating a false narrative and there are outside forces at play who are influencing people.
Meanwhile, Al Mateen Welfare Society has refused to speak to the media. Sources close to the society mention that the vitriolic media coverage that is being pushed out for the past two weeks is the reason.
Saiyad Ahmed, a catering business owner residing in Brahmpuri’s Gali No. 3, says that the entire dispute is politically motivated. He questions why people had no objections when the mosque was built in 2013, even though it was still close to the temple at that time. “This is about targeting Muslims and it’s politically driven. Now that the BJP is in power, all of this is happening.”
‘Migration due to monetary reasons’
Ahmed, acknowledges that there has been migration but attributes it to monetary and aspirational reasons. “Forty years ago, a Hindu resident bought a house in Gali No. 3 for Rs 50,000. Today, the price is Rs 2 lakh for a square yard. So for 100 square yards, that’s Rs 2 crore. That’s why people are leaving – they are getting better rates,” he said.
However, these plots are not sold in toto, says Ahmed. “Hindu families live on plots of 100 sq ft individually but they will sell smaller pockets of 25 sq ft to Muslims,” adds Ahmed.
For Ahmed, this is a socio-economic issue. Most Hindus migrate, typically to Shahdara and Johripur, because they are financially better off, he says. “On the other hand, many Muslims remain in these localities as they face limited employment opportunities and have fewer resources,” he continues.
‘Not a masjid but a room for immoral activities’
A resident of Gali No. 12, Shanti*, 47, and her daughter Meena*, 25, are among the 15 residents who have put up posters of selling their house. They share that the atmosphere was peaceful before the riots in 2020, but now they fear for their safety. Despite putting up posters to sell their homes, they don’t know where to go.
When asked about the fear, especially since construction has stopped, they responded, “We want it to be sealed. We believe there could be unrest.” They also mentioned that Gaur and Lal have been crucial pillars of support and have been patrolling the area for the past month and mobilising the community. “We were always a Hindu colony, but now so many houses in our gali have been bought by Muslims, and Hindus have left,” they said.
Shanti and Meena were among the many who attended Goyal’s demonstration on March 3. “We believe it’s not even a masjid, but a room for immoral activities,” said Shanti. “We also want to leave because they create disturbance – dumping garbage with meat, being violent, and increasing their population,” said Shanti.
Residents of Gali No. 12 also allege that the construction of another entrance to the mosque will jeopardise women’s safety due to routine “harassment” by men from the Muslim community.
Meena recalled an incident when she was in class 8 and “young Muslim boys” stalked her. But Riddhi*, 18, a resident of Gali No. 6 said, “It’s untrue that it is just Muslim men (who harass women). Men regardless of faith harass women here. I think the Muslim community is purposely being targeted.” Tanvi* (18), Kanishka* (17) and Saniya*(17) are residents of Gali No. 6 who pass Gali No. 12 to go for tuition from the main road, saying they have never faced any such issue and that the main road is more unsafe.
Nuzrat* (18) too doesn’t feel that the area is unsafe. “If that were the case, would women go out for jobs and travel at night?”
*Names changed to protect identity.
Small teams can do great things. All it takes is a subscription. Subscribe now and power Newslaundry’s work.
Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.
