There is a ruckus again over the Al-Metin Mosque in Brahmapuri area of Delhi. This mosque was already in street number-13, but now efforts are being made to increase it in street number-12. The special thing is that there is talk of opening the new gate near the Shiva temple built right in front. People are saying that this mosque was made by deception and now the insistence to increase it is part of the conspiracy. MCD has banned construction, but it is also showing an attempt to suppress the matter by putting a board. Hindus are scared, as bullets were fired from this mosque in the 2020 riots. On the other hand, Muslims are saying that they will build a mosque in case of peace. So what is the whole matter? Let’s understand it in easy language.
Mosque starts: Travel from flat to mosque
The story of Brahmapuri’s Al-Mantin Mosque begins in 2013. Pandit Lal Shankar Gautam, who lives here, says, “In 2013, some Muslim people bought a flat in street number-13. At first, there started offering Namaz there, no one had trouble. But gradually that flat was converted into a mosque. ” Gautam says that earlier it was just a common house, but later it was made a four -floor mosque. He believes that all this was done thoughtfully so that the grip of Muslims in the area would be strong. Initially no one was suspicious, but after the 2020 riots, people’s eyes opened.
Extension of mosque: plot or need?
Efforts started to enlarge the mosque after 2020. In 2023, the mosque people bought a plot next to it in street number-12. This plot belonged to a Hindu family earlier. Gautam says, “First bought that house, then broke and started making part of the mosque there. All this happened very thoughtfully. ”
The plan was to open the new gate of the mosque in street number-12, which falls near the Shiva temple built since 1984. Hindus did not like this thing at all. About 60 Hindu families live in street number-12. Out of these, 25-30 families put up posters of ‘house’ on their homes. Sonu (name changed), a young man living in the same street, said, “The temple is very old here. Worship is done every Monday, Holika Dahan is done on Holi. If the mosque gate opened in front, then there will be a fight every day. We don’t want anything like 2020. “
Hindus fear that if the mosque grows up, the crowd will increase and there will be more danger to them. Gautam says, “We cannot forget what happened in 2020. If the mosque grows up two times, then think how many people will gather here. This is a danger bell for us. ” On the other hand, Naib Imam Saddam Hussain of the mosque says, “Our population is increasing. The mosque was small. What is wrong with this? We want to live peacefully. “
Anti -Hindu riot is a major reason for fear
The riots that took place in the north-eastern areas of Delhi in the month of February 2020 are still a scary dream for the people of Brahmapuri. At that time there was a lot of violence in Seilampur, Jafarabad and Brahmapuri. 53 people were killed and hundreds were injured. During this, the name of Al-Mastin Mosque especially came to light.
Shankar Lal Gautam explains, “On February 25, bullets were fired from the mosque. Thousands of people suddenly gathered there. It was said that the mosque was set on fire, which was a lie. This was followed by firing in street number-13, in which three Hindu boys were injured. ” After that incident, there was a fear among Hindus. People started feeling that the mosque here is not made here only for worship, but for some other purpose. After the riots, many Hindu families left from here and sold their houses.
Mosque work stopped several times, now allegations on MCD
The case of expansion of this mosque has been going on since 2023. When the work started earlier, people complained to the police and the construction stopped. Then the mosques took permission from MCD on November 23, 2024. After this, the work resumed in February 2025. But on February 13, 2025, the North-Eastern District Police again received a complaint. When the police investigated, it was found that the map of the mosque was wrongly passed. MCD immediately stopped the work and sent a notice to the mosques. The construction has been closed for about a month so far. On March 3, there was news of stone pelting in the area, but the police found no evidence.
However, Hindus feel that the MCD is trying to suppress the case. Shankar Lal Gautam says, “The board has just felt that construction work is going on with the permission of MCD, while it is banned. Despite this, the board was not removed. First passed the wrong map, now we are pretending. ” They believe that all this is happening under upper pressure.
Trust to Muslims, further construction work will be completed
The people of the mosque say that they will not give up. Naib Imam Saddam Hussain says, “We are confident that this construction work will definitely be completed after the matter cools down. Right now there is pressure from police and MCD, but it will not last long. ” Some local Muslims say that they are waiting when the atmosphere is calm. A shopkeeper says, “All are silent now, but work will start as soon as the opportunity is given. We want our mosque. ” But Hindus are scaring this further. They feel that this peace is just upper and may be something big later.
Excuse of Community Center: Truth or Fie?
Now the mosque people are saying that they were building a community center, not a mosque in street number-12. Saddam Hussain claims, “We wanted to make a place for children’s education. There was also a thinking of calling a doctor for health. This is not a conspiracy. ” But Hindus are not digesting this. Gautam says, “This is all excuse. Earlier there was talk of building a mosque, now when there was a protest, the story changed. ” Some local Muslims also believe that the mosque was actually being built. A man says, “The matter of the community center is just to silence people.”
Everything stalled till Delhi Assembly elections, any special plan?
A question in this case also arises as to why everyone was silent till the voting of the assembly elections in Delhi. Some people feel that the mosque people hoped that Arvind Kejriwal’s government would come again and a decision would be taken in their favor. Shankar Lal Gautam says, “There was no movement before the voting of the assembly elections. Perhaps he felt that Kejriwal’s government would suppress us. Now when power has changed, the pressure increased. ” Hindus suspect that the matter of the community center was also taken out due to this pressure, so that the dispute would be slightly cooled.
Let us know that since the 2020 riots, the migration of Hindus in Brahmapuri has increased. Earlier in street number-12 and 13, both communities lived together, but now most houses are buying Muslims. An elder says, “Everything was fine here earlier. After the riots, he started getting scared. Now seeing the expansion of the mosque, it seems that we are preparing to drive away. ” People believe that first mosque is formed, then the atmosphere changes and Hindus go into compulsion. Muslims say, “We are giving good money, so people are selling.” But Hindus say that this is happening due to fear.
This dispute of Brahmapuri is not just about the mosque. This is the story of fear, mistrust and old wounds. Hindus feel that they are being driven away on the pretext of the mosque. Muslims say they need a place. The MCD and the police have just created peace, but people are afraid how long it will last. Was really a community center being built, or is it an excuse to save the mosque? The answer is not clear yet, but the people of Brahmapuri are living between fear and hope.
