The sealing of a masjid in the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR) has triggered a fresh controversy, with the All Arunachal Pradesh Masjid Welfare Committee (AAMWC) alleging selective targeting of Muslim places of worship and demanding uniform application of law across all religions.
Addressing a press conference at the Arunachal Press Club on Saturday, AAMWC representatives expressed concern over the action taken by the administration and raised questions on the grounds cited for sealing.
According to AAMWC, the Assistant Commissioner cum Executive Magistrate sealed the masjid citing two reasons-
•No registration of the masjid.
•No construction permit.
The committee, however, contested the move. It said that concerned departments had earlier inspected the premises but “couldn’t find anything illegal.” “Then why is APIYO seeing it as a fault? Why are they only targeting the Muslim and the masjids,” the committee asked.
AAMWC also raised concerns over the use of the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014 (APUAPA). The committee questioned why the Act was not being invoked against members of the Arunachal Pradesh Indigenous Youth Organisation (APIYO) in the current situation, pointing out that it was used to detain members of the Arunachal ST Bachao Andolan Committee (STBAC) during previous protests.
To underline its allegation of unequal treatment, AAMWC shared details from an RTI reply it had filed. According to the committee, the RTI response from the DC office records showed that 1 gurudwara, 14 mandirs, and 12 churches in the ICR have no required documentations for construction.
AAMWC Spokesperson Giah Limpeah Sultan clarified that the committee’s intent was not to target any faith. “The AAMWC don’t have any personal grudges against any specific religion. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s sentiments, but due to not getting equal treatment in Arunachal Pradesh we had to gather this information on them,” he said.
The committee argued that if the masjid was being declared illegal and sealed based on the two pointers of registration and permit, the same yardstick should apply to all. “If the masjid is built illegally according to the 2 pointers then every other religious centre in ICR that have no documentation of construction, why are they still going on, why are they not treated equally,” AAMWC said.
It urged the concerned departments to act uniformly. “If they are sealing the masjids based on the 2 pointers declaring it as illegal then the other religious centres that are running without the proper documentation of construction should be sealed as well,” the committee stated.
The AAMWC placed three demands before the administration-
•Immediate unsealing of all the 3 sealed masjids in ICR.
•If the administration does not unseal the masjids, it must seal other religious centres that do not have proper documentation.
•If the demands are not fulfilled, all ST Muslims in Arunachal Pradesh will start a democratic movement.
The issue comes amid heightened sensitivity around religious structures and land documentation in the ICR. The administration has in recent months intensified checks on building permissions and land allotments. APIYO has been vocal on issues of indigenous rights and alleged encroachment.
