LUCKNOW (Kashmir English): A Hindu extremist preacher has called for the demolition of the historic Shahi Eidgah Mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura district, urging supporters to replicate the movement that culminated in the destruction of the Babri Mosque in 1992, raising fresh concerns over growing anti-Muslim rhetoric and threats to Islamic religious sites in India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the remarks were made by Swami Satchidanand, head of Shri Chitragupt Peeth in Vrindavan, UP, in a video widely circulated on social media.
Addressing supporters, Satchidanand claimed that the Shahi Eidgah Mosque stands on the birthplace of the Hindu deity Krishna and asserted that the time had come to stop relying on the courts and instead launch a mass movement to “reclaim” the site, similar to the campaign that led to the demolition of the Babri Mosque.
1992 demolition of Babri Mosque
He urged his followers to “break the dome” of the mosque and “repeat what was done for the Ram Temple,” while also calling for another kar seva—the mass mobilization that became synonymous with the 1992 demolition of the Babri Mosque by Hindu extremists.
In the video, the preacher raised the slogan, “One more push, bring down the dome,” and announced plans to celebrate the upcoming Janmashtami festival at what he described as Krishna’s original birthplace. He also urged supporters to begin preparations to remove the mosque’s dome before the celebrations.
The Shahi Eidgah Mosque, situated adjacent to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple complex in Mathura, remains the subject of multiple lawsuits currently pending before Indian courts.
The latest provocative remarks come amid an escalating campaign targeting centuries-old mosques across India, including the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Eidgah Mosque in Mathura.
Muslim organizations and rights observers have warned that repeated calls to alter the status of historic mosques are deepening communal polarization, fueling religious intolerance and undermining legal protections for places of worship in India.
