Analysis: Jannat ul Firdaus Mosque in Bawana Was Demolished Because it Was Illegal

On X, a video of a bulldozer demolishing a mosque in Delhi’s Bawana is widely circulating. The claim accompanying the video alleges that the mosque being demolished is Jannat ul Firdaus Mosque. The demolition supposedly occurred after activist Preet Sirohi sought vengeance for personal abuse he faced, citing the mosque as an illegal structure.

Meer Faisal sharing the video wrote, “In Bawana, Delhi, the authorities demolished another Mosque named Jannatul Firdaus using a bulldozer, citing illegal construction and land encroachment as the reasons.” He further added, “A Hindutva activist Preet Sirohi claimed the demolition was in response to personal abuse he faced and vowed to continue targeting what he described as ‘illegal’ mosques in Delhi.” (Archived link)

Propaganda media outlet, The Observer, asserted, “In Bawana, Delhi, the administration demolished the Jannat ul Firdaus Mosque using a bulldozer, citing illegal encroachment on land. Hindutva activist Preet Sirohi claimed the demolition was in response to personal abuse he faced and vowed to continue targeting what he described as ‘illegal’ mosques in Delhi.” (Archived link)

Serial fake news peddler, Sadaf Afreen, wrote, “In Bawana, Delhi, the authorities demolished a mosque named Jannat ul Firdaus with a bulldozer, calling it an illegal construction!” (Archived link)

User Iqra Hasan wrote, “The administration declared the mosque Jannat ul Firdaus illegal and ran a bulldozer on it. What does the administration want after all… that Muslims are being targeted in this way.” (Archived link)

Ansar Imran wrote, “The administration demolished the mosque in Bawana, Delhi using a bulldozer. The reason is the same old story – illegal and encroachment!” (Archived link)

The Muslim wrote, “The administration declared the mosque Jannat ul Firdaus illegal and ran a bulldozer on it.” (Archived link)

Another fake news peddler handle, IND Story’s wrote, “Here is another gift for Muslims The administration declared the mosque Jannat ul Firdaus illegal and ran a bulldozer on it.” (Archived link)

South Asian Files wrote, “In Bawana, Delhi, the Janatul ul Firdaus Mosque was demolished by the administration, citing illegal encroachment. Hindutva activist Preet Sirohi claimed the action was a response to personal abuse and vowed to target more “illegal” mosques in Delhi.” (Archived link)

User Sadik Ali Nabina wrote, “The mosque in Bawana JJ Colony was demolished by declaring it as illegal land. Hundreds of temples have been built on illegal land. BJP does not see them. This is their double standard. They want such an incident to happen to the religious places of Muslims. The Islamic brothers of India need to unite.” (Archived link)

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Analysis

In our analysis research it was found that activist Preet Singh (Sirohi) filed a complaint to several key Delhi government officials, including the Horticulture Department, Municipal Corporation Department (MCD), Narela Zone. The complaint was about illegal unauthorized construction in a public park in C-Block Bawana JJ Colony, Narela Zone.

From the sources we acquired documents, in which we found that on April 9, 2024, the MCD wrote a reply to Preet and informed him that the Forest Department, Narela area, had sought police force 23 times through a letter to the police station to stop the illegal construction in C-Block Park, Bawana, Ward No. 30. However, due to the non-availability of police force, the illegal construction could not be stopped.

Even earlier in March, an attempt was made to carry out the construction of the mosque, but at that time PCR stopped the construction. Afterwards, another attempt was made to build stairs on April 4, but it was stopped again.

In a 2018 complaint to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, the North District Municipal Corporation requested adequate police force to demolish illegal constructions in Bawana. The complaint mentioned that the Horticulture Department of the Narela Zone had planned to demolish unauthorized religious structures built by encroaching on a park in front of house number C-255 in JJ Colony, Bawana

The complaint mentions that the MCD had sought police support on May 10, 2018 to ensure that the demolition process of the illegal structure could be carried out in a safe manner. Unfortunately, enough police force were not available at that time. The action was postponed due to various issues related to law and order problems in the area and communal unrest. The complaint further mentions, due to several reasons, the drive was delayed multiple times. The MCD had requested an adequate police force of 150 police personnel, to assist in the removal of unauthorized religious structures from a park opposite house number C-255 in Bawana’s JJ Colony. The request was made for the drive scheduled on October 5, 2021.

The construction of the illegal mosque was carried out at night

Satyendra Kumar, associated with the MCD Horticulture Department in the Narela Zone, filed an information report with the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police on June 10, 2024, concerning an illegal encroachment in JJ Colony, Bawana. The report stated that the illegal mosque was expanded, with the extensions typically occurring at opportune times, such as on Sundays or holidays, at night, to avoid detection. The mosque’s caretaker is responsible for these illegal activities. The letter requests the authorities to take necessary action to address this illegal encroachment.

Here is the picture showing the construction of the Jannat ul Firdaus mosque at night:

The picture above shows that the construction of stairs inside the mosque was being carried out at midnight. The pictures below demonstrate that when the first picture of the mosque was taken, there were no stairs. However, the second picture, taken at midnight, shows stairs being constructed.

As mentioned above in the article, the stairs were being constructed around April 4, 2024. During this time, Preet Sirohi called 112, and the construction was halted.

From these events, we get a clear picture that the construction of the unauthorized mosque was done gradually on a park, with the construction happening at midnight on Sundays or holidays. This timing was deliberately chosen to avoid interference from the authorities, allowing the builders to progress without immediate detection or interruption. The repeated attempts to continue construction of the unauthorized mosque, despite being stopped by the authorities several times, suggest a persistent effort to complete the mosque covertly on an encroached land.

Conclusion: The Jannat ul Firdaus Mosque was built on encroached land that was originally a park, leading to its demolition by the authorities. Several earlier attempts to remove the illegal structure were thwarted primarily due to an inadequate police presence. During this period, while the authorities attempts to stop the construction of the illegal structure were proving unsuccessful, the people associated with the mosque continued their construction covertly.

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