The ruins of the shrine of Baba Haji Rozbeh in the Indian capital, New Delhi, after its demolition (French)

For 9 centuries, Indians have come to the shrine of Baba Haji Rozbeh to pray inside a sparse forest in the Indian capital, New Delhi. The tomb of the Sufi saint was one of the oldest Islamic sites in the Indian capital until the development authority turned it into ruins.

In early February, the shrine became the latest victim of a “demolition program” carried out by the New Delhi Development Authority to remove what authorities call “illegal religious buildings.” The program included the demolition of a mosque, tombs, shrines, and Hindu temples.

The destruction of the shrine left residents feeling heartbroken and concerned warnings from historians about the loss of invaluable heritage. Historian and author Rana Safavi said, "It is a blow to the history that made India what it is today."

Demolishing Islamic sites

The demolitions come at a sensitive time, with Hindu nationalists increasingly daring to claim ancient Islamic archaeological sites as belonging to the Hindu religion, which represents the majority in the country.

In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a temple to the god Ram in the city of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh state, built on the site of a centuries-old mosque destroyed by Hindu fanatics in 1992, which sparked sectarian confrontations across the country that killed 2,000 people. Most of them are Muslims.

Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to win this year's general elections next April.

The demolition campaign being carried out in Delhi is officially related to development, and it targeted Hindu buildings in addition to Islamic buildings, but the Development Authority did not disclose what would replace the destroyed buildings, many of which were built hundreds of years before the current urban planning rules were established.

“The shrine was for a Sufi saint, and he was one of the first - if not the first - to come to Delhi,” Safavi said. “I have seen people of all religions visit it and revere it.”

"The maze of modern development"

The history of the shrine of Baba Haji Rozbeh dates back to the late 12th century, and it was 500 years ago when the Taj Mahal shrine was built in India.

But the shrine of Baba Haji Rozbeh is much more modest. It is a simple, low-walled building located deep in the sprawling Sanjay Van Forest Park, far from any roads or buildings. It is difficult for anyone to find except for the worshipers who frequent it. But the loss of the shrine made those who visited it sad. They feel bitter.

A man - who asked not to be named for fear of reactions - said: “I spent nights here praying, and now everything is gone. If we do not protect our history, who will?”

The Delhi Development Authority is a federal agency whose mission is to ensure that "Delhi's unique historical character, tradition and spirit are not lost in the maze of modern development".

The authority said the demolition operations were approved by a religious committee, and that “the entire demolition program (was) completed successfully without any obstruction or protest.”

The authority added in a statement that the “reclaimed” areas added an area of ​​​​a football field (5 thousand square meters), without providing further clarification.

Hindustan Times reported that in addition to the mosque and shrine, the development authority removed 4 Hindu temples and 77 graves.

Shared heritage

Last month, bulldozers in Delhi's Mehrauli forest demolished the Akhund Ji Mosque and an ancient school attached to it, and those in charge of them said they were about 600 years old.

"You look at the walls of the building and realize how much time has passed. We have lost it. We cannot rebuild it no matter how hard we try," said the mosque's imam, Zakir Hussein, 40, speaking about the pre-dawn arrival of workers to demolish the building.

The demolished mosque was named "Akhund Ji Mosque" or "Jinn Mosque", and it is said that it dates back to the era of the founder of the Delhi Sultanate, King Iltutmish, who died in the year 1236. The religious school attached to the mosque is also historic. As for the graves, they are about 4 centuries old and contain the graves of some saints. These monuments are protected, not only because they are endowment lands, but also because they are historical monuments, and they may not be demolished according to Indian law.

Last month, the issue of the “Sunahri Mosque” (the Golden Mosque) in Delhi arose, which dates back to the Mughal era, and the British kept it when they built the new city of Delhi, known as “New Delhi,” because of its historical importance and because it was a “living mosque.” That is, it was used and not abandoned.

The municipality claimed that the mosque obstructed traffic in the area, so it sought to demolish it under the pretext of widening the street, even though an official committee had previously ruled that this mosque did not constitute an obstacle, but the demolition order was stopped after people revolted and went to the Supreme Court.

An ancient mosque called “Shahi Mosque” (Royal Mosque) was previously demolished in the city of Allahabad (Prayag Raj) on January 9, 2023 under the pretext of widening the public road.

Loss of a common heritage

Safavi saw the loss of the mosque as a loss for everyone, and said, “The heritage is shared, so it cannot be said that (the demolition of) this mosque is nothing but a blow to a specific community or to Muslims because they prayed there.”

The Archaeological Survey of India - which included the shrine of Baba Haji Rozbeh on the heritage list in 1922 - said that the ascetic Sufi who lived in a cave was “revered as one of the oldest saints in Delhi.”

The Archaeological Survey list stated that “local tradition” stated that there was another tomb in the shrine belonging to the daughter of the 12th century Hindu leader of Delhi Rai Pithura, who “converted to Islam at the hands of Baba Haji Rozbeh.”

The commission’s report stated that “many Hindus converted to Islam under his guidance,” which astrologers considered a bad omen foretelling the resurrection of the Islamic Mughal Empire from the 16th century.

Critics and opponents of the government view the demolition steps as moving contemporary India away from the secular principles of modern India established by its founding leaders, but Hindu nationalist activists see the demolitions as a defining moment in their drive to “reshape the Indian nation.”

Source: Al Jazeera + French